Learning Lessons: The Road To Faberrittana
by Stargirl888
Summary: Learning Lessons Verse: Follow the journey of the girls as their relationship evolves.  Warning! Contains Spanking and DD relationships.
1. A Surprisingly Tame Argument

Title: A Surprisingly Tame Argument.

Author: Stargirl888

Word Count: About 2750

Spoilers: Season 2 Sectionals Episode

Pairing: Brittany/Rachel (non-romantic), Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Quinn

Rating: T

WARNINGS: Contains mention of a Domestic Discipline relationship

**S**ummary: Learning Lessons Verse: When Santana and Rachel get into a spat, it's not Santana who crosses a line.

A/N: Okay, so in this one we are just starting the slow build towards Faberrittana. I feel this installment is a little OOC, but I feel I should mention that there are some days when people just don't feel like getting into an argument with someone and others when they are in a bratty mood and just want to argue continue to push for an argument to try get a reaction, so pls try keep that in mind while reading this.

"...but then I thought that might not be appropriate for the assignment, however it suits my voice perfectly. Maybe another Wicked number?" Rachel had been rambling incessantly for the last five minutes about her possible song choices for their glee assignment and it was chafing on Santana's last nerve. The pair were sitting alone in the Berry's living room doing homework – Brittany having gone to the bathroom and Quinn having popped out to pick up some take-aways for them all, and Santana was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her AP Calculus worksheet with Rachel talking a hundred words a minute in the background. She was determined not to say anything though; not wanting to get into an argument but after breaking the third pencil nib from pressing too hard since the monologue began, she gave in.

"For the love of all that is holy, Rachel, would you please just shut up." Rachel, who had up until this point been unaware of her friends irritation immediately took affront.

"Forgive me for asking for your advice."

"That's what you were doing? The five minute speech on how you could perfectly perform all these songs?"

"Well I could see how someone like you wouldn't see the problem but one of the burdens of having such a large range in my voice – choosing a song when there are so many you can sing." The sad fact, Santana mused, is that Rachel was being serious. Since dating Quinn Rachel had toned down the 'divaness' dramatically, but there were still times it made an appearance.

"Why do you always have to act so goddamn superior, like your voice makes you better than the rest of us?'" Santana demanded, her temper rising quickly but she was doing her best not to overreact.

"I'm sorry but what was it you said the other week when Brittany shouted at you in Dutch in front of the whole glee club?" Rachel asked sarcastically "Something about a pot and a kettle?"

Santana closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and mentally counting to ten.

"I'm not going to start an argument with you right now." Santana informed her lowly, picking up a fresh pencil and turning her attention back to her books. Unfortunately for her Rachel was already mentally geared up for an argument so she wasn't as ready to just let the matter drop.

"Care to enlighten us as to what exactly happened when you got home that afternoon?" Rachel pressed, knowing that Santana hated even mentioning when she got into trouble about something. "You were very apologetic the next day and I noticed you squirming about in your seat quite a bit."

"Rachel." Brittany cut in as she appeared in the doorway, holding a bag of crisps in hand. Rachel jumped in surprise, while Santana also glanced at Brittany apprehensively. Neither knew how long she had been standing there and though Santana knew she hadn't lost her temper, she had still started the tiff.

Brittany, however, barely spared more than a glance at the latina to check she was okay and not about to blow her top before turning to glower at the small girl who had the common sense to feel worried.

"Rachel." Brittany repeated, "I do believe I've warned you before about teasing my girlfriend, particularly about this issue?"

They were interrupted at the sound of the door opening as Quinn arrived back with the food.

"What's going on?" She asked as she entered the room and took in the tense atmosphere, depositing the bags of food on the coffee table. Brittany just raised an eyebrow at Rachel, silently asking her if she'd like to be the one to tell Quinn. Rachel just looked away, deferring to the dancer.

"Rachel was teasing Santana about when she lost her temper in Glee the other week." Brittany explained.

"Oh?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrows at Rachel in question.

"Santana told me to shut up and stop acting superior." Rachel argued

"That does not excuse what you said." Brittany pointed out.

"So she can just say those things with no consequences while I get into trouble?" Rachel demanded.

"I didn't say that." Brittany sighed, disliking the mess the whole situation was becoming. "Look, Quinn is your girlfriend, so if you're in trouble over this, you take it up with her. Santana is my girlfriend so if she is in trouble then that is between us. However, I would like you to know that I am irritated by the fact that I have told you in the past not to tease Santana and you still did so, particularly after she said she didn't want to argue with you."

"Wait, Santana said she didn't want to argue?" Quinn questioned in surprise at this tit bit as Rachels expression changed from anger to guilt. She nodded her head silently in reply. "Well then you are definitely in trouble, for continuing the argument even after Santana tried to end it, as well as for doing something Britt specifically told you not to do."

"I don't have to listen to her." Rachel muttered with a pout.

Not blinking an eye, Quinn quickly crossed the room and yanked Rachel up from her seat, delivering four stinging swats to her rear while Rachel tried to twist out of the grasp Quinn had on her upper arm.

"Now you will lose this attitude right now." Quinn scolded, releasing her "If you take issue with something I said, you tell me properly and don't mumble it under your breath."

Raising her eyes to meet Quinns gaze, Rachel glared back defiantly and absently rubbed her bottom – too irritated to even be embarrassed. Making a concerted effort not to come off petulant, she repeated herself levelly.

"I said I don't have to listen to her."

"No, you don't have to listen to Britt, not in the way you have to listen to me anyway," Quinn agreed "however, I do expect you to be respectful of our friends wishes and if she tells you not to do something, particularly something you shouldn't be doing in any case, then _I _expect you to do so, and you already know that." They had had the conversation about respecting other peoples wishes before.

Rachel glowered at Quinn but said no more, knowing that she would never win this argument, and fighting further would only make things worse for her.

"Britt," Quinn turned her attention to the other blond. "What would you think is a suitable punishment for Rachel's behaviour today?"

"She can't punish me!" Rachel protested immediately, while both Brittany and Santana, who was making a concerted effort to stay as uninvolved as possible, looked at Quinn in surprise. Quinn just raised an eyebrow at Rachel, in warning of her tone and Rachel took a deep breath and repeated herself in a more level tone.

"It is my prerogative e as to how you are punished, and I choose for your punishment to be whatever Britt decides." Quinn explained her reasoning. Rachel considered that for a minute before relenting.

"Okay." She acquiesced, actually agreeing with Quinn's reasons.

Once it was clear Rachel wasn't going to argue, Quinn turned her attention back to the other blond who gave Rachel an appraising look. Brittany glanced to Santana, who just shrugged in an 'it's up to you' gesture, knowing it wasn't her place to give input.

"Well I think an apology and early bedtime is in order." Brittany decided aloud, remembering that this was what she had threatened Rachel with the last time. She didn't want to suggest a spanking in case Quinn suggested she deliver it, which she was not comfortable with since she felt that the decision to allow someone to spank her should rest with Rachel alone.

"An early bedtime?" Rachel repeated, having honestly expected, at the very least, a spanking. Quinn also raised her eyebrows but didn't argue – she had given Brittany the authority to punish Rachel as she saw fit, and she wouldn't take it away again by openly disagreeing with her.

"Yes." Brittany confirmed, pretending to be oblivious to their surprise. "So why don't you head up stairs to get ready and someone'll come up in half an hour to check on you."

"It's like five o'clock." Rachel protested, the idea of going to bed when it was still light out just seemed a little ludicrous to her "and I haven't had supper yet."

"Rach, the operative word in an early bed time is early, and I guarantee that you won't starve from missing one meal." Brittany explained firmly. Santana felt a certain amount of comradeship with Rachel at that moment, knowing how horrible it was to lie in bed at five in the evening, unable to sleep, but not allowed to get up and occupy yourself with something; the hunger just being the cherry on top; though Britt would normally sneak in with a sandwich after a few hours. "Now come on, apologise to Santana and then up to bed with you."

"I'm sorry Santana. It wasn't fair of me to bring up things I knew you were uncomfortable about." Rachel dutifully apologised when she could see Brittany was not about to back down on this.

"Thank you. I accept." Santana replied "And I'm sorry about what I said too."

Rachel gave her a small smile and offered a tentative hug, which Santana returned. Breaking apart, Rachel reluctantly gathered up her things before giving Quinn a peck on the lips with a murmured goodnight and heading upstairs.

" I expect you to be in bed by the time someone comes to check on you." Brittany called after her before looking back to the other two girls. "Q, do you mind if San and I have a moment?"

"Sure," Quinn agreed, picking up the takeaways and taking them through to the kitchen to dish up.

"So," Brittany sighed, rolling her shoulders to release tension that she never realised had built on her shoulders and going to pull Santana to her feet . Putting her arms around the latina's neck she rested her forehead against Santana's.

"I'm so proud of you right now." Brittany murmured after a moment, causing Santana to pull away so she could meet the blonds eyes, her forehead crinkling in confusion. "You kept your temper, and tried to end the argument before escalated."

"Yes, but I did start it." Santana argued, not quite willing to let herself off that easily.

"You did," Brittany agreed, "and while that was wrong, I know you San and you could have been much more hurtful than you were; which means even though you snapped at her, you were trying to contain yourself. That, and the fact you actually tried to put a stop to the argument and didn't allow yourself to be provoked..." Brittany trailed off, pausing to give her a soft kiss "I'm so proud of you."

Melting into the blonds embrace, Santana allowed herself a small smile at the praise.

"You know," Santana added as they broke apart, "Rach is going to have a fit when she finds out you didn't at the very least scold me."

"It's none of her business." Brittany shrugged before telling Quinn they were done talking and she could come back in.

Tucking into their food a few minutes later, Brittany waited fourty-five minutes before raising the topic of Rachel again.

"Do you mind if I'm the one to go check on her?" Brittany asked Quinn, knowing the blond had only really asked her to decide on the punishment, not carry it out but Quinn shook her head, happy to let Brittany take the lead.

"Just call me if she give you trouble." Quinn requested and Brittany nodded in acknowledgment, rising to her feet.

Brittany made her way upstairs, knocking gently on Rachels door before entering to find Rachel's room in semi-darkness (the curtains didn't fully block out the light) with the diva herself sitting on top of her bed, in pyjama's, reading a book. Rachel glanced up at her as she entered and Brittany could tell she was testing how much she could get away with.

Holding out her hand, Brittany silently waited for the book. "Under the covers." She ordered firmly once Rachel had handed it over. "Now, I didn't tell you that you weren't allowed to read so I can't fault you for that, but from now on, it's not allowed. You can lie here in your bed doing nothing, or go to sleep; those are your only options."

"But that's so boring." Rachel whined, shimmying under the blankets and leaning against her head board.

"Which is part of the punishment." Brittany replied succinctly. "Come now, lie down properly."

Once Rachel's head was on the pillow and she was laying on her side, Brittany moved around to sit behind her, reaching out to lightly stroke her hair in a way that was surprisingly comforting for the smaller girl.

"Rach, you cannot tease San about this anymore, it's not fair on her." Brittany murmured and Rachel allowed herself to relax, taken aback by Brittanys conversational tone. "When I physically discipline Santana for something, it's private and only between the two of us. It's not the same as with you and Quinn who are much more open about things."

"You don't hesitate to scold Santana in front of us.' Rachel pointed out.

"I do sometimes but normally I don't, not around you and Quinn anyway. However, the actual punishment is always in private. I'm not judging your relationship when I say this, because your relationship with Q is different, but I wouldn't even give her warning smacks in front of you and Quinn, let alone anyone else. The fact that San agreed to even tell you about this aspect of our relationship in the first place...well, it's not something she would have admitted to just anyone."

So, it was official in Rachels mind that Brittany had just made her regret her behaviour far more than she ever would have with a lecture. Giving Rachels shoulder a gentle squeeze, Brittany stood up.

"B?" Rachel called quietly as the tall dancer reached the door. Knowing that if she was going to bring up the idea that had been floating about in her head since Brittany sent her upstairs then this was probably the most appropriate time to do so

"Mmm?" Brittany paused, turning to face Rachel.

"I'm sorry about my behaviour today, and I take back what I said earlier." Brittany frowned slightly, not sure exactly what Rachel was referring to, nor why Rachel was suddenly blushing "I mean...in future, that is...if I were to disobey you...or disrespect you... I wouldn't...I mean you could..."

"Rachel, I don't think I've ever known you to get so tongue tied before." Brittany teased gently, catching on to what the other girl was asking. "and I know what you're suggesting, but I think you need to talk to Quinn about it first, and sleep on it . If she agrees and you still want to, then we'll talk properly, okay?"

Rachel nodded and Brittany crossed back over to the beds side and bent down to place a kiss on her cheek and murmur goodnight before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her. Rachel knew that once she was alone she could get up and retrieve her book or laptop and keep herself occupied, but knowing that Brittany was trusting her not to do just that gave Rachel pause and so, after tossing about for a while, unused to being in bed at that hour, Rachel finally fell into a light, dozing sleep

Waking up few of hours later, Rachel found Quinn sitting on the corner of her bed watching her.

Glancing to her bedside table Rachel found her clock was blocked from view by a sandwich. Sitting up, she looked at Quinn questioningly who just shrugged "Britt sent it up."

With her stomach letting out an embarrassingly loud growl, Rachel quickly picked up the food, causing Quinn to chuckle at her ravenous behaviour. She allowed Rachel to eat in silence before speaking again.

"B mentioned that you gave her permission to discipline you." Rachel averted her eyes guiltily, worried Quinn would be offended; though if she was there was no trace of it in her voice. "Why?"

"It's just, when she was sending me to bed today, it felt natural...right." Rachel studied Quinn's expression carefully, trying to tell what her girlfriend was feeling. Quinn kept her face a mask of indifference, although internally she actually agreed with Rachel – which was what was freaking her out. Quinn had always been the possessive sort and that she didn't mind Brittany chastising Rachel was mind boggling to her.

"How would it work?" Quinn asked.

"Wait, you're okay with this?"

"I'm open to the possibility, probably more than I should be but I can't seem to find a problem with the idea; though if it does become an issue later on, I reserve the right to change my mind."

"Fair enough." Rachel agreed. "As for how it would work, we'd have to discuss it with her but i was thinking that things stay pretty much stay the same, except if B's around and you're not, or it specifically concerns her then she can decide on the consequences."

"That could work." Quinn agreed.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **Okay, so I'm not promising, but next instalment will probably be the one where we finally find out how Brittany and Santana's switching relationship works, as such I'd like to know all your questions about their relationship!

**AN3: **As normal I love feedback and reviews!


	2. Storming Out

**Title**:The Road to Faberrittana 2: Storming Out .

**Author**: Stargirl888

**Word Count**: Approx 3000

**Spoilers**: None

**Pairing:** Brittany/ Rachel (platonic for now), Brittany /Santana

**Rating**: M

**WARNINGS**: Consensual Disciplinary Spanking

**Summary:** Rachel behaves selfishly and Quinn's out of town. Good thing Brittany's around to give her some perspective.

**A/N**: Okay so I wanted to get this up before I got off work today because it's so delayed, meaning I haven't had a chance to read over it properly. I'll re-edit it tomorrow so appologies in advance for any mistakes.

-0-0-0-

"Well if you want the lead so badly Mercedes, you got it. I'm not going to perform in a show where everyone is constantly unkind to me." Rachel announced, storming from the room just as Brittany and Santana entered.

"What's going on?" Santana asked in concern as she took in the others stormy appearances.

"Rachel pulled out of the benefit." Mercedes explained as one of the theatre guys poked his head into the room to give them their five minute curtain call.

"What do you mean she pulled out, she's the one who talked us all into this in the first place."

The others just shrugged.

"Well we don't have time to find her and convince her to sing now,:" Finn pointed out and they all turned their attentions to quickly rearranging their set list to accommodate the missing star. After the performances, which were still a success, Brittany turned her thoughts to tracking down the petite diva, knowing she must have still been at school since she needed to catch a lift home. Brittany and Santana made their way through the deserted halls, checking in empty classrooms and bathrooms until they finally found Rachel in the furthest classroom in the maths corridor. Pausing outside Brittany murmured to Santana to get their stuff and meet her at the car, wanting to speak to Rachel alone first.

"So, you going to explain why we had to rearrange the entire show minutes before we went on?" Brittany asked as she entered the room, her sudden appearance making Rachel jump.

"Mercedes and Kurt were ragging on me and I won't perform with people who treat me that way." Rachel replied petulantly.

"Rach, did you ever consider that not everything is always about you?" Brittany sighed

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." Rachel retorted, turning to leave the room and already deciding to find someone else to give her a lift.

"Rach, don't walk away while we're having a conversation." Brittany called after her but was ignored. If it had been Quinn, Rachel would have stopped immediately but Brittany was different and Rachel was fairly certain she could talk herself out of trouble for walking away if need be.

Exiting the building Rachel saw Santana's car idling in the first parking slot in the almost empty lot, the quiet thrum of music just audible as it echoed out of the speakers. Glancing up from her cellphone where she was typing out a text, Santana noticed Rachels still form. Not paying her much mind, Santana reached over to unlock the back door for her before returning her attention to her phone. It took Santana a couple of moments to realise that Rachel still hadn't moved from the doorway and instead was also fiddling on her phone. Santana reluctantly rolled down her window, wincing as the cold night air hit her face.

"I'm not a chauffeur and this is the closest the car's getting to the door Rach, just get in and you can text from inside, where it's warm and you won't catch a cold." Santana called, thinking maybe Rachel was embarrassed that she was in trouble with Brittany or something. Thinking of Brittany, she wasn't quite sure where her girlfriend was considering that she should have been with Rachel, she shrugged it off - maybe Britt had forgotten something in her locker.

"Don't worry about giving me a lift. I'm calling a cab." The absurdity of this statement was enough to tempt Santana out of her warm vehicle.

"Why the hell would you call a cab when you live three blocks from here and I've already agreed to give you a lift?" she demanded irritably.

"Santana, I'm tired and I don't feel like dealing with your girlfriend and her questions right now, which will no doubt be unavoidable if I catch a ride with you." Rachel replied and even she had to admit she was taking avoidance tactics to a new level with this.

"I know you're joking right now, because even if you were serious it would never work - B would just go over to your house, and while she may be irritated now but having her pissed off on top of that irritation is worse. If you don't want to talk to B today then your best bet is to just tell her that." Santana' was interrupted as her phone buzzed with a new text message. She quickly opened it to see it was Brittany explaining that Coach had cornered her on her way out but would be there in a moment. "Britt will be here in a minute." Santana relayed "it's your choice."

Santana quickly made her way back to the warm car watching from her peripheries as Rachel wavered for a moment before reluctantly heading over to unlocked car door.

Sliding in, Rachel and Santana waited in an uncomfortable silence that the radio was doing it's best to cover, until Brittany arrived.

Santana could tell Brittany was unhappy as the blond turned off the radio the second she was settled. The short journey to Rachels was quiet and uncomfortable, though Santana enjoyed the novelty of not actually being the cause of Brittanys irritation. Pulling up in the Berry's driveway , Rachel climbed out the second the handbrake was up. Brittany hastily said goodbye to Santana, sure that Rachel could give her a lift home later that night if she didn't end up staying over.

By the time Brittany reached the patio Rachel had already unlocked the door and headed inside the quiet house, both her fathers apparently having decided to turn in early. Closing the door softly behind her Brittany followed Rachel up to her room, also closing that door once she was inside so that the sound proofing would stop them from waking up the Berry men.

"I don't recall inviting you inside." Rachel commented, though it lacked bite.

"You didn't." The blond replied easily, moving to sit on the corner of Rachels bed. Brittany's unconcerned attitude confusing Rachel who had full expected at the very least a lecture the second her door was closed

"What do you want Brittany?" Rachel sighed when Brittany didn't say more and it became apparent she wasn't going to leave.

"To finish the conversation that you walked out on." Rachel wondered briefly if maybe she had misread the situation. Though they had agreed a few weeks ago to Brittany taking on a disciplinary role when Quinn wasn't around, there had been no situations since then that called for it until now and it could be that Brittany had changed her mind since then.

"Ever consider that I walked out on it because didn't want to talk about it?" Rachel snapped, her tone bordering on rudeness as she tested out the waters.

"I did, but sometimes you have to talk about something, despite not wanting to." Brittany replied simply, not taking the bait. "Come, sit down." Brittany indicated the desk chair opposite her. It wasn't an order but it was clear Brittany expected Rachel to do as was asked.

"I'd rather stand."

"It makes no difference to me." Brittany shrugged indifferently and Rachel begrudgingly sunk into the chair still weary and feeling very off balance in the unfamiliar situation. "Okay, so first lets just check that I got all the facts right. Mercedes and Kurt insulted you before the show. They hurt your feelings, and so to get back at them you refused to perform with them and ran off five minutes before curtain. This led to rest of us, nine of which had nothing to do with what Mercedes and Kurt said, having to scramble to rearrange our set list." Brittany paused for Rachel to acknowledge that her narrative was correct. "Do you think you made the right choice?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think your decision to behave selfishly and run off, abandoning the whole club minutes before a performance, because your feeling were hurt was the right decision to make?" There was no reproach in her words, only simple curiosity but the question did cause Rachel to feel a sudden disappointment in herself for overreacting yet again, merging with the already present embarrassment. No longer able to meet Brittanys eyes she dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Rachel?" Brittany coaxed when she got no response.

"Maybe I shouldn't have gone so far as to pull out of the show." Rachel agreed quietly.

"Maybe not" Brittany agreed "Can we also agree that there should be consequences for your poor actions?" Rachel nodded, still not looking up. Brittany, sensing Rachels insecurity about the situation so she slid off the bed and went to kneel directly before the smaller girl, using her hand to tilt Rachels head up and encourage her to look at her properly.

"Rach, You're an amazing person and friend, but you need to remember to think about others every once in a while. I want to help you to be the best person you can be; and that person is not someone who abandons her team because they made a couple of hurtful comments." That earned her a hesitant smile from the diva and Brittany stood up, pulling Rachel to standing and giving her a hug.

"Okay," Brittany said in a firmer voice once they broke apart "So lets get the horrible part over with. Is there a hairbrush or some other implement around here" Remembering exactly what was going to happen next Rachel started to panic again.

"Please don't do this Britt, I swear it will never happen again." Rachel pleaded as Brittany went over to her vanity to try locate a suitable implement.

"Rachel, we both agreed that you needed consequences so don't draw this out by arguing." The words weren't harsh but they left no room for protest. After poking about the dressing table top unsuccessfully for a few more moments Brittany turned to Rachel in a huff. "This isn't my house you know."

"Can't you just use your hand?" Rachel tried to negotiate but Brittany just looked at her, her expression clearly saying you-already-know-the-answer-to-that. "I...umm...what exactly do you want?" Rachel gave in, blood rushing to her face.

"Some sort of light paddle"

"There's a wooden ruler?" Rachel suggested, trying to pick the least painful item first.

"No, what else?"

"Hold on." Rachel went over to her bedside table and retrieved a light wood paddle that was slightly smaller than an average hairbrush. Blushing deeply she handed it over to Brittany, who weighed it in her hands and tapped it against her palm a few times to test out the sting before nodding her approval. "Alright, lean over your desk for me."

Rachel sent Brittany one more pleading look before doing as she was asked. Assuming the unfamiliar position Rachel waited tensely, jumping when Brittany put her hand on her lower back soothingly.

"Ready?"

Rachel mumbled her consent and Brittany quickly flipped up her skirt and began spanking. The smacks were lighter and had slightly more of a sting than Quinns normally did.

Once Rachel started shifting her weight uncomfortably in a failed attempt to alleviate some of the sting Brittany stopped

"Rachel, how many times have you and Quinn addressed this issue in the past?"

Rachels heart fell at the question, knowing that the spanking would be that much worse once she answered.

"A few times." Rachel tried to gloss over it.

"I'd like something more specific than that?" Brittany prompted.

"I'm not sure, four, five maybe?" Rachel replied, lowering the number somewhat by excluding the less serious times and hoping Brittany didn't call her on it. Brittany however, caught onto something else.

"Stand up and turn around." She asked calmly, waiting while Rachel rose and faced her, her gaze momentarily flicking to the blonds before returning to the floor. "Look at me;"Brittany paused until Rachel complied "So after four or five times you really didn't have some hesitation before storming out of there – I've seen Quinn spank you Rachel, over this same issue I might add."

Rachel bit her lip but didn't reply.

"Rach, I'm going to take a guess that you figured that since Quinn wasn't here you'd get away with it and either you forgot about our agreement or you figured you could talk your way out of trouble with me." Brittany paused and Rachel had seriously not thought it was possible to get even more embarrassed, her expression clearly giving away that Brittany was right "If it was the latter I'm going to tell you right now that you will never be able to talk yourself out of trouble with me if you were in the wrong. Now you may feel differently but, in my opinion, your reasons for doing or not doing something should not be solely based on whether you'll be punished for it or not. The thought of being punished for something should only deter you long enough to realise why you would be punished in the first place. The reason you'd be punished is the reason for not doing it. Make sense?" Rachel nodded, never having thought of it that way. "Good. You can get back into position."

Picking up the paddle Brittany folded up the skirt that had fallen back down and began. In some ways this was easier than spanking Santana but by not knowing Rachel as intimately Brittany was finding she had to watch more carefully to gauge her reactions. Brittany knew as the spanking progressed and Rachel began to show more and more discomfort that she was walking a fine line. She refused to be harsher than she felt appropriate but she couldn't be too lenient or Rachel wouldn't take her seriously in future and she was fairly certain Quinn was generally harsher than her.

Once she deemed the small diva sufficiently spanked, she allowed the sniffling girl to rise. Rachel stood and turned nervously to face Brittany again, her fingers tugging at her skirt as she resisted the urge to rub away some of the sting.

"Rachel, tomorrow I think it would be a good idea for you to apologise to the rest of the club." It wasn't really a suggestion but Rachel nodded anyway. Brittany opened her arms in silent invitation and Rachel gratefully crossed the couple of feet between them, accepting the comforting hug. After a few moments they separated.

"Now, do you mind being alone tonight or would you rather if I stayed with you?" Brittany offered kindly, though secretly hoping Rachel would say no since she really felt she needed to see Santana again. It hadn't been a particularly intense spanking, emotion wise, but Brittany wanted to be sure she hadn't misjudged Rachels emotional state.

"No, you can go – I think I'm going to call Quinn." Rachel assured her with a smile. "Do you need me to give you a lift home?"

"No, I'll just call Santana." Brittany didn't miss the relief on Rachels face – clearly she didn't relish the thought of having to sit down for the ten minute drive there and back.

-0-0-0-

When Santana pulled up into the Berry's driveway a few minutes later she found Brittany already waiting for her outside.

Sliding into the passenger seat Brittany leaned over to give Santana a quick peck on the lips in greeting before settling into her seat and distractedly flicking the radio over to the classical station. The music Britttany listened to at a given moment was always a dead giveaway to what mood she was in; which Santana was grateful for because it stopped her from misinterpreting silences when she was driving.

After driving in silence for a few minutes Santana blindly reached over to take Brittany's hand in her own; "Babe?"

"Mmm?" Brittany asked as Santana's voice broke her revere.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't mind - wherever we can just be." Brittany replied, knowing Santana would know what she meant.

Santana ultimately settled on going back to her place since she knew her parents were out and her brother was already asleep.

They quietly made their way into the house and up the stairs to Santana's bedroom. Santana had barely turned around from closing her door when Brittany's lips found hers. They kissed deeply for a few moments as Brittany sought the physical reconnection between them. Moving over to her bed, and still exchanging soft kisses they lay down. Brittany rested her head on Santana's chest and they both just lay there for a few moments, listening to each other breathing.

"So how was it?" Santna murmured, absently running her hands through blond hair.

"Different." Brittany muttered, reluctantly moving so she was hovering on top of her girlfriend and meeting her eyes.

"Intense?' Santana asked, guessing from Brittanys behaviour

"Not really, just different." Brittany paused for a moment, trying to think of how to describe what she had felt. "It was like...sleeping with Matt."

Santana frowned in confusion at Brittany's reference to her first hook up when they were in an open relationship -they had never shied away from discussing when they were with other people but Santana couldn't see the relevance to this conversation.

"I slept with Matt before I learnt how to cut myself off from the other person, so that the sex pleasurable but purely physical and so I allowed there to be an emotional connection. I think that it was the same sort of thing when I was with Rachel...it's like I feel closer to her now."

"Okay..." Santana drew out the word, not sure what she thought about that.

"But we're still us." Brittany assured her, brightening and and quickly peppering Santana with kisses, causing the other girl to chuckle.

"Good." Santana agreed, smirking and flipping them over so that Brittany was now beneath her and began sucking on her neck, marking Brittany as hers.

-0-0-0-

**AN2**: Reviews? Comments? Suggestions?


	3. A Conflict of Opinion  Part A

**Chapter Title: **Conflicts of Opinion – Part A

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **Over 3000! (And that's only part 1 ;)

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Santana/Rachel friendship, Quinn/Rachel, Side Santana/Brittany

**Rating: M**

**WARNINGS: **References to Domestic Discipline. 

**Summary: **Rachel tells Quinn about her storm out.

**A/N: **Well I half made my self set deadline of posting an update today. This chapter just didn't want to be written. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote and it still just didn't want to happen. I finally squeezed this out and decided to post the first part so you got some sort of update. The plan is to post the second, final part by Sunday latest, so fingers crossed I can finish it by then. Special thanks should go to jennifer0912 for convincing me to write this follow up to the last chapter and not just move on to the next part and KFordy for all her thoughts on the chapter and verse in general.

It's a little choppily written, but hopefully you'll still enjoy it.

0-0-0-0

Rachel stared down at her phone apprehensively as she heard Santana's car pull away from the drive. She knew she had to tell Quinn what had happened but she honestly had no idea how Quinn would react, having never been in this situation before.

She stared at the small screen of her phone where Quinn's name was highlighted, her finger hovering over the call button for a moment before resolutely flipping it shut – she would wait for the morning. Quinn was probably asleep by now anyway.

Of course morning came around far too quickly for Rachels liking. She had to tell Quinn, she knew that it was better if Quinn found this out from her, but she also didn't want to ruin Quinn's time with her family, whom she was visiting up country (or at least that's the reason she told herself), so Rachel decided to ignore the situation for now and just sent Quinn her customary good morning text before jumping in the shower to get ready for her day.

After showering and dressing, Rachel noticed she had two new text messages, the first was from Quinn, returning Rachels text with a short one of her own saying she was spending the day out with her cousins and would call in the evening. The other message was from Brittany, asking if she wanted to hang out her and Santana today.

Rachel quickly replied, suggesting they come around to her place and do a movie day. Plans were finalised and a few hours' later Brittany and Santana were on her doorstep with junk food and dvd rentals in hand.

It would have been lying to say Rachel wasn't embarrassed to see her friends after the previous night and it was with some trepidation that she answered the door, certain that awkwardness would ensue.

The second the door was open however, Santana was pushing her way into the house, wanting to get out of the cold, Brittany close on her heels. Having been to Rachels place quite a few times before, the girls immediately headed through the house to the kitchen to dump their bags on the counter.

Soon enough Brittany was busy microwaving up the popcorn while Santana melted some chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water at the stove, preparing their traditional movie snack, and Rachel assuming the job normally left to Quinn, of preparing them some soft drinks.

Once the chocolate, popcorn and a bag of mini-marshmallows had been mixed together in a large bowl, and the glasses were on a tray, they all went through to the sitting room. Rachel quickly drug out some large throw blankets – it wasn't cold in the house, but it wasn't quite comfortably warm either, and they all settled down to watch the movie. Santana and Brittany cuddling together on one side of the couch while Rachel sat on the other, the bowl of chocolate covered popcorn separating her from the couple.

Santana had given in to watching Brittany's selection first, and as much as she loved the girl, My Big Fat Greek Wedding had lost her interest after the fifth viewing so she settled instead for surreptitiously watching Rachel from the corner of her eyes.

Rachel actually appeared to have even less interest in the movie than she did as the petite girl fiddled absently with her phone, flipping it open and shut every couple of minutes, clearly bothered by something.

Rachel barely noticed the movie end or Brittany getting up to go to the bathroom, her revere only being broken when Santana reached over to snatch the phone out of her hand.

"Rachel, you need a new phone." Santana observed as she glanced at the outdated phone before putting it on the side table beside her before looking back to Rachel, eyebrows raised in question.

"What?"

"Britt said you were going to call Quinn last night after she left." Santana fished.

"I was, but then I thought it was late and didn't want to risk waking her up." Rachel explained defensively.

"She's going to find out either way, do you really want her pissed just because you didn't tell her first?"

"I was going to tell her this morning but she's gone out with her cousins for the day." Santana gave her a look that clearly said Rachel was just making up excuses.

"The longer you leave it the worse it will be." Santana sang lightly, "besides, the hard parts already over with anyway.

"Easy for you to say."

"Fair enough." Santana agreed.

"Santana, can I ask you something...about last night?" Rachel asked nervously and Santana nodded for her to continue. "Is Brittany always so discursive before..."

"Well we normally discuss everything first, if that's what you mean." Santana replied questioningly – she had never really considered the details of what happened between Rachel and Quinn before a punishment, but she assumed it was pretty similar to how she and B did things. The idea of giving or receiving a spanking before discussing it fully and checking that you were both on the same page completely foreign to her "Doesn't Quinn talk to you about it first?"

"Occasionally. I mean she always tells me what it's for or whatever, but Brittany seemed to honestly want to know how I felt about the whole thing – if I thought I was wrong. I was just wondering if that was because it was me or if she's always like that."

"She always checks I agree with her assessment of the situation."

"Oh." Rachel murmured, clearly thinking something through."With Quinn it's more a case of her assessment is the right one, and she assumes I agree – which I generally do."

"Well Quinn and Brittany are different people." Was the genius response Santana could come up with. Rachel just nodded thoughtfully, though before she could say more, Brittany returned and they put in the next movie.

-0-0-0-

That evening found Rachel once again staring at her phone, nearly jumping out of her skin when it started ringing in her hand and Quinn's name popped up on screen. Sighing, she reluctantly accepted the call.

Rachel listened quietly for a few minutes as Quinn described what she had been up to that day, wondering about the best way to bring the topic up when her girlfriend did it for her.

"_So how was the benefit last night? You didn't call me and I know you normally like to gush about a performance afterwards" ._Quinn asked, raising the topic for her.

"Yeah, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." Rachel could sense Quinn's concern, so she quickly rushed ahead with her explanation. "I didn't really perform, because Mercedes and Kurt said some things that really got to me so I walked out."

"Right before a performance?" Rachel could already recognise Quinns tone

"Yes, but Brittany already punished me for it."

"Oh," Quinn wasn't sure how to react to that, "well we're still going to have to talk about it when I get back. I don't want to have this conversation over the phone."

"Okay." Rachel agreed, feeling a knot of anxiety settle at the pit of her stomach. She had hoped Quinn would say that if Brittany had punished her then they could lay the matter to rest without much discussion, but she had also known that that was unlikely. Quinn changed the subject then and they chatted for a few more minutes about inconsequential things before hanging up.

-0-0-0-

The following afternoon, Rachel received a text from Quinn informing her that she was home from her trip and Rachel headed over to the Fabray household.

"So how was your family?" Rachel asked, sitting on the corner of the bed and watching Quinn unpack the small suitcase she had taken with her.

"Good. I can't believe how big my cousins have gotten." Quinn replied snippily, continuing to unpack and clearly not in the mood for small chat right then. "Tell me about Friday night."

"Well, like I said on the phone, Mercedes and Kurt said some things that really got to me so I walked out before the performance. I knew better, but I lost my temper." Rachel relayed quickly "I didn't have a car so I hung around in Mr Herberts classroom until Brittany came to find me. Santana gave us a lift back to my place where Brittany and I discussed what had happened and agreed that I deserved to be punished for my behaviour." Rachel had gone rather red at her last few words. "So that's what she did."

"How?"

"How?" Rachel repeated

"Yes, how did she punish you?." Quinn explained.

"A spanking," Rachel replied embarrassedly

"I guessed that." Quinn snapped "I mean did she use a paddle? How many smacks? That sort of thing."

"Oh," Quinn could tell she was embarrassing Rachel by forcing her to recount what had happened aloud, but she wanted to know. "I didn't count but she spanked first with her hand and then the light olivewood paddle you brought me a few months ago."

"Turn around." Quinn ordered abruptly, tossing the t-shirt in her hand into the hamper and moving to Rachel. Rachel did as she was bid without question and Quinn quickly lifted her skirt, tucking it into the waistband before pulling down her panties. Rachels bottom had by this time returned to it's normal pale colour. After examining unsuccessfully for any evidence that may help her judge the spankings severity, Quinn returned Rachels clothing to it's original positions and went back to finishing empting her suitcase.

"You can sit down again." She added when Rachel hadn't moved more than to glance around to watch her. "How long would you say the effects of the spanking lasted?"

"Umm, well I was still a little tender the next morning." Rachel replied honestly, though she had a feeling it would have been a better idea to exaggerate the after effects.

"Hmm, did you cry from the spanking?" Quinn moved the now empty case from her bed and watched Rachel closely. Rachel hesitated under the scrutiny, knowing she's be caught out in a lie, before reluctantly shaking her head.

"Well it seems to me Rach, that you weren't really punished sufficiently for your actions." Rachel was starting to get a bad feeling about where this was going. She had thought that Quinn wanted to know how Brittany had spanked her out of a sense of curiosity, nothing more. "We're going to have to take care of that."

Quinn rose and went to shut the bedroom door. Rachel began to get anxious as it became increasingly apparent Quinn was about to punish her again after she had thought that her punishment for her behaviour was already over with.

"Quinn, that's not fair, Brittany's already spanked me."

"I know, but I already told you, I think she was too lenient. This has been an issue we've gone over time and again, and you still haven't learnt to think of others instead of just yourself." Quinn moved to take a seat on the edge of her bed.

"But..." Rachel tried to protest again only to be cut off.

"Don't make a fuss about it. You know you were in the wrong, and it's my job to decide on a suitable punishment for your behaviour. Brittany's decision was in no way sufficient."

It still felt incredibly unfair to Rachel, and she had thought that the situation was pretty much over after Brittany had spanked her but Quinn seemed set on her course of action and Rachel knew arguing at this point would not work in her favour - plus Quinn did have a point about how it was her job to decide on Rachels punishments, though they had not discussed how that would work when Brittany had already punished her.

Resolving to discuss things later, Rachel resentfully moved to Quinn's side.

-0-0-0-

"Okay, it's all in the past now, and hopefully we won't have to deal with this issue again."

Rachel accepted the hug Quinn offered after her spanking, needing the comfort despite still being irritated that Quinn had spanked her in the first place for something that she had already been punished for. Quinn herself was oblivious as to the deeper reason for Rachel's uncharacteristic emotional distancing.

Rachel had to leave shortly afterwards so she decided to wait to talk to Quinn properly for a time when they wouldn't have to end the conversation in the middle and give herself a chance to think through what she wanted to say.

By the next morning however, Rachel was debating whether to even talk to Quinn at all, having half convinced herself that Quinn had every right to punish her more if she thought Brittany was too lenient, while still feeling that this was unfair on unidentifiable some level.

-0-0-0-

_Santana, would it be possible for you and I to _

_Go for coffee after school today? Rachel *_

Santana stared at the screen in surprise. Sure she and Rachel hung out quite often and Santana considered them friends, but in the past they always had either Brittany or Quinn with them, and always organised through one of them. This was the first time Rachel had ever approached her to hang out directly.

Rachel herself had been nervous about sending the text, unsure of what Santana's reaction would be, but she really wanted talk about what had happened and get an objective perspective on everything, and though Santana wasn't exactly unbiased, she was the least involved of the three options available.

Rachel jumped as her phone buzzed not even a minute later to reveal the reply.

**K. Cheerio's prac till 4, C u by ur locker 4:30? **

-0-0-0-

At 4:55 that afternoon Rachel was still waiting for Santana by her locker and seriously debating between just going home and ignoring that Santana had stood her up or phoning to demand an explanation. She had finally decided to just go home when her phone rang. Flipping it open it showed she had a new text message from Santana.

**Coach only just let me go now. Still need to change – **

**Meet me locker rm if u're still school. S. **

Feeling inordinately happy that Santana did actually have a valid reason for being so late, Rachel quickly shouldered her bag and headed to the locker room. The door to the room was half open when she arrived and Rachel could hear angry mutterings coming from inside.

She poked her head in cautiously. Despite being friends with three cheerleaders, one of which she was dating, Rachel had never been into the Cheerio's locker room, the other Cheerio's being rather territorial about the space. Rachel found it looked pretty similar to how she had imagined it, with red lockers lining the walls and a bench in the middle, there were two other doors on the opposite walls, one leading to the slip way through to the gym and the other to what appeared to be the showers. Santana herself was wrapped in a towel and had her back to the door Rachel entered through, bending over her bag and muttering furiously as she searched for something.

"Santana?" Rachel called cautiously, not wanting to startle the clearly irritated latina.

"Oh. Come in then, I'm the only one here." Santana invited, glancing over her shoulder to check it was indeed Rachel. "Coach made me stay late and run fucking suicides because she claimed my footwork was sloppy and then made me redo the routine like fifty times. I didn't have a chance to get to my phone and text you earlier."

"It's fine." Rachel waved it off, moving to sit on the far end of the bench and trying to look anywhere but Santana's half naked form. Santana smirked as though she knew exactly where Rachels mind had gone, her heavy mood lifting somewhat. She finally withdrew a tank top from her bag.

Turning so her back was once again to Rachel, Santana adjusted the towel so that it sat around her hips, leaving her top half bare and taking her time, pulled on the top. Turning back around to Rachel, who was blushing lightly, Santana retrieved her sweat pants, slipping them on under the towel before removing the towel and chucking it in the overflowing laundry basket by the door.

Pulling her damp hair into a loose bun, Santana watched Rachel shift in her seat as her eyes landed on where Santana's nipples were clearly visible through the thin fabric of the top. Realising Santana had caught her staring Rachel quickly looked away guiltily.

"There's no harm in looking." Santana remarked as teasing Rachel with her body lightened her mood even further after the hellish practice.

"I'm dating Quinn." Rachel protested weakly as Santana gave her shoulders a playfully boastful shake, making her breasts bounce before doubling over in mirth at Rachels expression. Once she had calmed down Santana took pity on her and put on a loose tracksuit top over the tank.

"Dating Quinn doesn't make you blind to everyone else." Santana replied, shouldering her pack. "So I know this was meant to be coffee, but I'm starving."

They settled on a place not far from the school before separating since they both had their own cars that day.

Once at the restaurant, they both ordered, Santana deciding on a chicken salad while Rachel was content with just a side plate of chips.

"I told Quinn about Friday night." Rachel said in a rush once the waiter had gone.

"How did that go?" Santana asked curiously, taking a sip from her water.

"Can you try be unbiased about this?" Rachel asked, and Santana just gave a nod "She thought Brittany was too lenient."

"Well I kind of expected that." Santana revealed.

"I did too, but I didn't think she'd actually...do what Brittany did, again, because of it." Rachel murmured in a hushed tone so the people at the next table wouldn't overhear or understand if they did. Santana's eyebrows rose in surprise. "At first I thought she was being unfair, but Quinn said that it's her job to decided on punishments and so on and I thought that she had a point there, and now I'm just confused because it still feels wrong to me."

"Did you tell Quinn?" Santana asked, remembering what Rachel said on Saturday about Quinn just assuming she agreed with her.

"I tried but I think she thought I was just trying to get out of it, so I decided to wait until afterwards, but then I had to leave and when i woke up this morning I couldn't even decide if I should tell her."

"Rachel, it's clearly bothering you and this is something that could happen again in future so you need to talk to Quinn about it. It was the first time that Brittany took on that role for you so there's bound to be some things to work out and Quinn's probably also feeling a bit unsure of herself with Brittany having essentially taken her place in that situation."

"Do you think Quinn was wrong?"

"It's not important what I think since it's not my relationship." Santana deflected, striving to not get into the middle of things.

"If it were you and Brittany?" Rachel pushed, though Santana's answer had given her her answer by not giving a straight answer.

"Brittany and I are different from you and Quinn." Santana sighed. "I just think this is something the two of you need to discuss."

"How do we do that when Quinn always expects me to defer to her." Rachel practically pouted.

"Quinn just likes to believe she knows better than everyone else. Rachel, you're in a relationship with her, if she does something you don't like, you're entitled to tell her about it, just try not to let it sound like a criticism, and don't pressure her into accepting your side."

"Okay." Rachel agreed and the conversation moved on to other topics then as they finished their meal.

-0-0-0-

**AN2: **I know, I know, I didn't write out the whole spanking scene and I'm sorry, I just wanted to focus on the story this time round and couldn't put myself in the right mood to write it (particularly since I take issue with Quinn's decision). I'd still love your thoughts on the chapter, and I want to know where you all stand on Quinn's decision to spank Rachel a second time, so comment and let me know?


	4. A Conflict of Opinion B

**Chapter Title: **Conflict of Opinions – Part b

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 3 400

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Quinn/Rachel Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **References to a consensual Domestic Discipline Relationship

**Summary: **Brittany has words with Quinn

**A/N: **Wow, I should write conflict more often if this is the sort of response it gets. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and told me your thoughts on the matter. I appreciate it and it helps to remind me of things I've neglected and points that I hadn't thought about before. I've actually forgotten to mention it until now, but if you want to review and would like a reply but would rather not post it publically, you're more than welcome to PM me your thoughts.

I think that this chapter will explain what was actually going on with Quinn a bit better. I have had a couple of people commenting that Quinn is uncaring or unloving, and I just wanted to mention that this is not the case at all. Quinn just tends to bottle up her emotions inside and that can come off as cold.

I know I said this would be up on Sunday and it's now like Thursday – I really should know better than to give dates of updates because it inevitably doesn't happen! Anyway, sorry about the delay and here's part B.

-0-0-0-0-

"Santana?" Brittany asked, answering her phone on the second ring.

"Hey B."

" Please don't tell me you pissed off coach and she only just let you go from practice?"

"No, she only kept me an hour late. I went to get something to eat afterwards, with Rachel." Santana explained, flopping back onto her bed and kicking off her shoes. She had only just arrived home after saying goodbye to Rachel at the restaurant.

"Oh, okay. So how did that go?"

"It was interesting. Turns out Quinn spanked her for her storm out on Friday night." Santana revealed, knowing Brittany wouldn't be happy about it.

"What was the point of me even spanking her if Quinn was going to do it anyway?"

"Apparently Q thought you were too lenient or something."

"Well that's beside the point. " Brittany snapped irritably. "She should have at least spoken to me about it."

"I know. Rachel's wanted to know if I thought Quinn was wrong but I didn't want to get into the middle so I said it didn't matter what I thought."

"So Rachel thought she was wrong?"

"She doesn't know. I think Rachel is trying to convince herself that Q was right. Q's argument is that since she's the one who decides what punishments are appropriate for Rachel it means that she can add to ones that she felt were insufficient."

"I guess she's not exactly wrong there," Brittany admitted "But it's not fair to Rachel, if she thinks the whole ordeal is over only to have further consequences."

"I know," Santana repeated, reminding Brittany that she wasn't the one whose reasoning was being argued. "I agree with you, but Q's always thought differently to us."

"You know I wouldn't even let it bother me if Quinn's reasoning was different," Brittany couldn't help feel a little insulted. She knew Quinn's punishments were always harsher than hers, but she didn't think Quinn would go so far as to actually give Rachel a second spanking because of it. "I think I'm going to try talk to her tomorrow before school."

"I thought we were trying not to meddle." Santana asked pointedly.

"It's not meddling. If Rachel has a problem with Quinn's actions then she needs to learn to say something and that just because Quinn has the authority in their relationship doesn't mean she's not entitled to her own opinions on the matter, however, what I want to talk to Quinn about is her issues with how I handled things."

"Okay," Santana agreed "but while you do, could you also remind her, one dom to another, that a lack of argument does not always indicate agreements and relationships are not built on assumptions. Anyway, I'm tired and still have that English paper to write so I better get off the phone."

"I'll meet you at school tomorrow then, since I'm going to go see Quinn first?" Brittany confirmed

"Yes. I'll see you then.'

-0-0-0-

"Quinn, you have a visitor." Quinn's mother called from downstairs. Quinn moved to her window that overlooked the street to see Brittany's car in the driveway.

"Send her up." A second later there was a knock on her bedroom door before Brittany entered.

"Hey Q," Brittany greeted cheerfully as Quinn sat down at her dresser to finish applying her make-up.

"Hey B. Did we have plans to carpool today?"

:"No, I just wanted to talk to you before school." Quinn glanced up to focus on Brittany's reflection in the mirror, knowing her friends perchance for having serious conversations first thing in the morning.

"Okay," Quinn agreed, screwing on the lid of her face cream and turning around to face Brittany properly.

"I heard you spanked Rachel for when she walked out on the Glee club on Friday." Brittany cut to the chase without preamble.

"Yes, I did." Quinn didn't try to deny it "I wanted Rachel to understand that just because I wasn't there didn't mean she'd get away with that sort of behaviour."

"And she didn't – I spanked her. Besides, I thought the reason was you thought I was too easy on her"

"There's that too. You spanked her for storming out though, I spanked her for repeating behaviour we had already addressed in the past." Quinn justified

"Did you not consider that I may have taken her past behaviour into account?"

"Britt, Rachel described to me how you spanked her." Quinn replied condescendingly "She was back to normal the next day."

"Don't patronise me Q." Brittany snapped, getting irritated with Quinn's attitude "I delivered a spanking of the severity I thought appropriate, having considered Rachels behaviour, past and present, her feelings about her behaviour and the circumstances, and had you actually thought to ask I would have told you that. Or Rachel would have at least told you I asked about how many times she had been punished for similar behaviour in the past."

"Oh." Quinn muttered, though it was clear to Brittany what she was leaving unsaid.

"Q, you and I have very different philosophies about all of this, and as such we're bound to do things differently, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but you need to take it into account."

"Well what is your philosophy then?" Quinn demanded, not appreciating being lectured, although that was not Brittany's intention.

"Simple. I acknowledge that Rachel is not a child." Brittany knew it was a provoking comment, but she was annoyed at Quinn right then.

"You think I treat her as a child?"

"I think you forget sometimes that she's the same age as you, and capable of understanding when she's in the wrong, as well as forming her own opinions which may differ from yours. I'm well aware of the power trip that comes from having someone submit to you, but you have to remember that that doesn't actually make you any smarter, better or superior to them."

"So what, I should ask Rachel to pick her own punishments from now on?"

"No, but I'm sure she'd appreciate being consulted on whether she should be punished in the first place."

"I would never do something if she said no."

"The problem is you're mistaking compliance with agreement. Just because she goes along with something doesn't mean she agrees with it 100% and if you let that continue it'll only lead to resentment. While you may be the one to decide on the consequences for something, Rachel is the one who decides if it's appropriate or sufficient, and she felt that the spanking i gave her was sufficient."

"First off, how would you know that? Did you ask her after you finished spanking and actually expect her to sign up for more by saying no? And secondly, the whole reason for my punishing her is so I can decide what is appropriate."

"This is what I mean by treating her like a child." Brittany pointed out "No, I didn't ask her that, though if I had I would have trusted that, given a chance to think it through, she would have been honest as to whether she thought the punishment was too light or harsh. That may be naive but it's true. However when someone doesn't get what they thought they deserved and expected it leaves behind a feeling of bitterness and being cheated and that would manifest in her general behaviour. That is what I meant when I said she decides on the appropriateness of the punishment"

"So how can your lighter punishments and my harsher ones both be appropriate because I don't recall Rachel's behaviour in the past to in any way indicate she was unsatisfied with the outcome." Brittany could tell Quinn was more trying to find a flaw in her reasoning than actually wanting an answer, but she decided to reply anyway.

"I'm not saying there's some magical point with an exact number of smacks or something - there's manoeuvring room. Like, lets say in a given situation Rachel was spanked twenty times. Now Rachel would have probably considered herself appropriately punished anywhere between 12 and 30 smacks, so 20 is fine, but if she were spanked only 10 times, she would not feel like she had been punished suitably and act out. The difference with you and me Quinn is that while I would choose a punishment on the lower end of that spectrum – say 15 smacks, you'd pick the higher end at say 25. We're both still in range though so the spanking with serve it's purpose." Quinn had never looked at it that way, and though what Brittany was saying did kind of make sense, she was not about to back down and let Brittany win the argument...unfortunately she was finding the logic hard to argue with.

"Fine, whatever. Was there anything else or can I get back to finishing getting ready before I'm late."

"Just one other thing. I don't mind if you disagree with me, and I will always try to respect your authority over Rachel because of your relationship with her, if you want to punish her after I have done so then that's fine, but I'd appreciate if you'd respect that when I'm the one to punish Rach for something, I have the authority and not just go and undermine me by claiming you're only doing it because I was too lenient. If you have other reasons for punishing her again, then fine, but not because of your feelings on the punishment I delivered - rather discuss those problems with me. And I think it was a bit unfair spanking Rachel a day after she had thought her punishment for her storm out was over without at least giving her some heads up that that may happen."

Not waiting for a reply, Brittany quickly left. She was already kicking herself for meddling as much as she did and provoking Quinn, though it was too late to change it now, and while Brittany knew it may have been better to remain silent, she stood by what she had said.

Climbing into her car, she pulled out her phone and speed dialed Santana, putting it on speaker before starting the engine.

"Hey. You at school yet?" Santana answered after a couple of rings

"No, just leaving Quinn's place and wanted to see if you'd like a lift?"

"Thanks but I've already left."

"You're speaking on speaker, right?" Brittany asked with a slightly warning tone.

"Yes," Santana confirmed, rolling her eyes. "How did the talk with Quinn go?"

"Don't ask. I think I definitely just allied her insecurities surrounding me and Rach."

"Thanks B, she's going to be insufferable at practice today." Santana remarked with mild annoyance.

"Yeah well, it'll most likely be directed at me since I basically told her she treats Rachel more like a child than a girlfriend."

"Harsh much?" Santana commented though without judgment.

"I suppose," Brittany agreed, ""I'm sure I did nothing but allied her feeling of being threatened by me."

"Because you spanked Rachel?" Santana asked

"Partly, but I think there's more to it than that. I'm here," Brittany added as she pulled into a parking space.

"I'm already in the gym."

"K, meet you there." Brittany confirmed before hanging up.

-0-0-0-0-

"What's going on between you and Brittany today?" Rachel asked Quinn as they both began unwrapping their lunch, having picked up on the tension between class. They were sitting alone in the backstage area of the auditorium.

"Nothing." Quinn answered succinctly

"Really?"

"I don't like being lectured about how I treat you, nor do I like you running and complaining to her about me." Quinn remarked pointedly.

"I wouldn't do that" Rachel replied honestly, not understanding where this was coming from.

"Don't lie to me Rach. She came to me today saying it was unfair of me to spank you on Sunday, and that I treat you like a child rather than my girlfriend. Why would she say that if you didn't say something to her first?"

"I don't know, but I've barely spoken to Britt other than in passing since I saw her on Saturday."

"Rachel, just be honest with me." Quinn tried coaxing

"I am being honest." Rachel replied, hurt by the way Quinn was just refusing to believe her. She had a fair idea that whatever Brittany had said stemmed partly from her conversation with Santana, but she wanted Quinn to believe she was telling the truth about not speaking to Brittany first because this was quickly evolving into an issue of trust. Unfortunately, Quinn could tell Rachel was holding back something, which only solidified her belief that Rachel was lying

"No, you're not Rachel, and I'm not going to put up with being lied to my face." Quinn moved to pull Rachel up from her seat, as she had in the past only to have Rachel determinedly yank her arm back and refuse to rise.

"Rachel." Quinn warned

"No Quinn, I've done nothing wrong this time." Rachel argued

"You're lying to me!" Quinn exclaimed exasperatedly.

"You can't just try to spank me whenever you don't believe me and I'm not lying, though if you can't believe me then we have more problems than I thought." Rachel said as she carefully rewrapped up her sandwich before standing up and walking out without another word.

Quinn stared after her in worried confusion, still sure Rachel was lying, but also not believing she would take the lie this far.

The only other people she could to ask to determine the truth would be Brittany herself, though Quinn was still annoyed with her, or Santana who was annoyed with Quinn for torturing them during Cheerios practice.

Deciding she'd take her chances with the fiery latina and realising that she wouldn't have time to actually go and find Santana, she pulled out her cell phone to call her instead.

"Fair warning, this has not been a good day and I'm already pissed. I cannot be held responsible for what I say after this point." Santana answered the phone, referring to the tough practice Quinn had put the Cheerio's through as well as a pop quiz a teacher had sprung on them and she knew that she had not done well on it..

"You do understand that since my number is blocked I could have been anyone." Quinn replied

"Warning would still apply, it's only more pertinent because it's you." Santana could practically hear Quinn rolling her eyes.

"I just wanted to check something quickly. Has Rachel been complaining to Brittany about me?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"As sure as I can be. Britt didn't mention anything like that to me and she normally would."

"Oh, then how did Brittany find out about Sunday?"

"From me." Santana answered easily, causing Quinn to mentally kick herself, of course if Brittany hadn't found out from Rachel the only other person she could have learnt it from was Santana. "And to pre-empt your next question, I found out from Rachel, but before you get the wrong idea, Rachel wasn't complaining o me about you either, she just needed to talk to someone."

"And she chose you over me?" It was meant to come off as disbelief but Santana heard the undertone of uncertainty.

"Q, you're not always the most open person when it comes to differences of opinion and sometimes it helps to talk to someone who's not as involved."

"So what did she want to talk about then?"

"No, it's not that easy." Santana replied smugly, not willing to betray Rachel's confidence and knowing it would annoy the hell out of Quinn. "You need ask her if you want to find out."

"Fine." Quinn agreed "I got to go."

She hung up without waiting for a response, beginning to wonder just how much she had screwed up. What was meant to be a simple spanking had mutated into something much larger.

Quinn barely saw Rachel the rest of the day so after school she headed over to the Berry household. Rachels father was home for lunch and let her in and she promptly headed upstairs.

"Rach, can I come in?" Quinn called, knocking on her bedroom door.

"I suppose." Came the response, and so Quinn entered to see her girlfriend sitting on her bed with her laptop open in front of her.

"Rach, I think we need to talk about earlier." Rachel sighed and reluctantly shut her laptop and moved it to her bedside table before turning to give Quinn her full attention.

. "I should have believed you." Quinn admitted hesitantly, not one to generally make apologies.

"Do you say that because you believe me or because you phoned and asked Brittany?" Rachel asked, unimpressed.

"Santana." Quinn admitted, not missing the flash of disappointment in Rachels eyes.

"Quinn, how is this relationship going to work without trust? What happens the next time you don't believe something I say and there's no way to confirm it?"

"I don't know. I do normally trust you and It's not that I don't want to, because I really do, but trust has never been easy for me. I'm working on it though. " Quinn replied with the only assurance she could give her, sinking onto the bed so she was level with Rachel.

"I suppose that's all I can ask for." Rachel observed. "But Quinn, I meant what I said earlier – you can't just spank me when you think I'm lying."

"I know - I shouldn't have tried that." Quinn admitted, ashamedly gazing at the bedspread.

"You also should have told me the real reason you spanked me when you got back on Sunday." Quinn's gaze flicked back to Rachels in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked, suddenly panicked and wondering how Rachel could have figured it out.

"I thought about it, but it was only after what happened at lunch that I realised that while on the surface your reason, that Brittany was too lenient, made sense, it wasn't the full reason. It's only natural to feel a little insecure after Brittany did something that I previously only allowed you to do.,"

"That's not –" Quinn tried to deny it, while flushing at being found out because though she hadn't consciously considered it at the time it was exactly what was going on. Rachel cut her off.

"Quinn, Brittany could never replace you." Rachel replied with complete conviction, taking Quinns hands in her own "My feelings for her are completely different to the way I feel about you, and no matter what happens she is not going to change that. Okay?" Quinn nodded, mollified by her girlfriends reassurances "I would however prefer that if you want to go all caveman and assert your position or whatever, that you find another way to do it. When we first began our rather unconventional relationship, we agreed that spanking would only be for when I misbehaved and I want to keep it that way."

'Alright" Quinn agreed seriously before her expression changed to a michevious smirk as she shifted to she was kneeling on the bed. "So about these other ways to assert my position..." she husked, leaning forward to capture Rachels lips with her own in a searing kiss, pushing Rachel back so she was lying under her.

"That would work." Rachel panted when they broke apart and Quinn turned her attention to the smaller girls collar bone. "But there's just one more thing."

"Mmm?" Quinn mumbled against her skin, her attention already moved on from their serious conversation of moments ago and Rachel was having a hard time holding onto her own train of thought.

"Do you think that next time you could maybe check with me as to whether I agree with your reasoning before you spank me?"

Quinn moved so she was balancing on her forearms over the diva, her face once again serious. "Rachel, if you ever think I'm wrong to punish you over something, you must say so. I will try to remember to ask you, but if I forget and you don't agree you must still say something."

"K." Rachel agreed and Quinn waited a moment to check there was nothing else, before returning to her attention to a much more pleasurable activity.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Of course everything couldn't be sorted out in one conversation but it was a start and Quinn spoke to Brittany the next day and agreed to talk to her first if something like the severity of the punishment was ever in question.

**AN2: **Crap ending, ik but I just wanted to do something to give the Brittany/Quinn situation some sort of resolution.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts!


	5. Meeting the Family

**Chapter Title: **Meeting the Family

**Author:** Stargirl888

**Word Count: **About 5000!

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Rachel Friendship, mentions of Faberry and Brittana

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **None really...mentions of sex if you want to be technical 

**Summary: **Rachel meets Brittanys family and learns a bit more about the blond.

**A/N: ** Okay so a couple of things about this chapter. It a little different from the others: First, we get to meet Brittanys family! Yay! I'm so excited about this because I've been planning it for a while, and I'm sort of in love with her family. (Oh, and just so you know, Brittany's sister is about thirteen and her cousin a or so year younger. Johan's about 20 or so). This could really have been posted as an outtake oneshot in the verse since it's pretty stand alone but I figured I may as well add it to the fic since it does go towards Rachel and Brittany bonding. Secondly, there's quite a bit of dutch in this but I've put the translations in brackets directly after it – thanks to dax_loves_khan for translating for me. Other to that, Enjoy!

-0-0-0-

Brittanys families had to by far be one of the most unusual families that Rachel had ever seen. Though she had been friends with the blond for almost a year now this was her first time she was going past the doorway of her house - She had been outside the house when she stopped past to pick up the blond when they were going somewhere, but that was about it. It wasn't intentional on either of the girls part, it just always worked out that if they weren't going out to the mall or something then they would hang at either Quinn or Rachels house, and Rachel was starting to understand why. She had been invited around to dinner this Thursday evening because Brittany's parents were tired of always hearing about the petite diva and never having met her.

Entering the house, Rachels first impression had been one of complete and utter chaos. There were a couple of pre-teen girls sprinting about the living room; the one having apparently stolen the tv remote and two women could be heard conversing rather loudly further in the house in what Rachel presumed was Dutch. Brittany was still in the process of taking her coat when the two little bodies rushed past her and headed towards the stairs, giggling and talking excitedly about some idea they'd just had.

"Hey, hey. Excuse me?" Brittany called after them, both halting mid stride before turning around, smiling guiltily and coming back over to give the tall girl a hug.

"This is my friend, Rachel." She introduced after greeting them "Rachel, this is my sister Stacy and our cousin Joanna."

"Very pleased to meet you." Rachel replied politely, offering her hand to each girl, who shook.

"Stacy, heeft mama gezegd om hoe laat het eten klaar zal zijn?" (_Stacy, has Mama said what time dinner will be ready?) _Brittany asked her sister in rapid Dutch once the introductions were over.

"Seven."

"Wel dat is pas over een half uur dus jullie twee zouden beter stoppen met spelen en je gaan wassen" (_Well that's only in half an hour so you two better finish playing and go wash up.) _Brittany suggested, amused by the lost look Rachel was sporting. Smiling indulgently after the children as they ran from the room, Brittany translated what she had said as she finished hanging up Rachels coat before leading the girl further into the house.

Walking through the living room, which had various paraphernalia scattered about, Brittany gave Rachel an apologetic glance and quickly chucked some of the nearer items into a storage basket but it didn't make much difference to the overall room. The house didn't look dirty per se, just really lived in. Rachel was slightly taken aback by the unruliness of the space – her fathers had always been rather particular about rooms being left neat and tidy.

"Okay, so meet the parents time." Brittany teased as she took Rachels hand and led her through to the kitchen where two blond women and a man were talking uproariously while one of the women kept an eye on some pots on the stove.

"Mama, Papa, Auntie Gina," Brittany greeted them, leaving Rachel by the door as she went to give each of them a peck on the cheek. "This is my friend, Rachel Berry. Rachel, this is my mom, dad and aunt."

"Pleased to meet you." Rachel greeted them with her award winning smile; already liking the look of these clearly jolly people.

"You too, Rachel, it's nice to finally put a face to the name we've been hearing so often" Brittany's mother offered, causing Rachel to flush, before turning her attention back to her daughter. "Could you tell Stacy and Joanna to go wash up?"

"I sent them up a moment ago." Brittany explained "Dinner almost ready?"

"Yes, do you think you and Rachel could set the table?"

Brittany agreed, already pulling cutlery out of a draw and handing it to Rachel before shepherding her out into the dining area which adjoined the lounge.

As they began to lay out the cutlery across from each other, Rachel could hear Brittany's mother start up another conversation with other adults and though they were speaking dutch, Rachel was fairly certain of the topic of conversation, especially considering how many times she heard her name mentioned, along with the occasional 'Santana' and 'Britt'

Glancing across the table, Rachel found Brittany watching her with a mildly embarrassed smile. "Sorry." She apologised softly "My family don't mean to be rude, they just have no filters and forget that sound travels in this house and that their daughter can also speak Dutch." Brittany added raising her voice so her family could hear her "Alleen omdat jullie in een andere kamer zijn betekent niet dat we jullie niet kunnen horen roddelen over mijn liefdesleven" (_Just because you're in another room doesn't mean we can't hear you gossiping about my life) _

"Hey, our lives are boring, we have to find our entertainment where we can." Brittany's aunt replied in English for Rachel's benefit, to which Brittany's father was quick to reply, obviously denying the boringness of his life. Brittany just rolled her eyes at Rachel who, despite finding the idea of comfortably having a conversation through two rooms slightly odd, was thoroughly entertained by the exchange - though she could only really understand half of it.

"You also need to set a place for Johan." Brittany's mom called after a moment.

"I thought he was staying with his girlfriend?" Brittany replied, not bothering to mask the annoyance in her voice. Brittany knew people often found her family overwhelming to be around and she didn't really want to deal with his teasing when it was only Rachels first dinner with everyone.

"He claims he could sacrifice a night with his girlfriend to come and see yours." Her Aunt Gina explained, and Brittany actually blushed while Rachel averted her eyes embarrassedly.

"Zoals ik jullie al verschillende keren gezegd heb, ze is niet mijn lief!" (_As I've told you all, numerous times, she's not my girlfriend_) Brittany argued, pointedly avoiding using Rachels name, who was finding Brittany's obvious discomfort rather amusing.

"Wel je praat genoeg over haar zodat ze het evengoed wel kan zijn"(_Well you talk about her enough that she may as well be_) Brittanys mom teased as she entered the room "...and don't talk in Dutch when you know Rachel here can't understand, it's rude" The scolding was only said with half seriousness though since Mrs Pierce had also been speaking in dutch a moment ago.

"What's rude?" Stacy asked as she and Joanna entered the room.

"Butting in to other peoples conversations." Brittany replied without missing a beat as the doorbell rang. Stacy and Joanna both ran off to answer it, shouting excitedly when they saw who was on the other side. A moment later a young man entered the room, clearly only a few years Brittany and Rachels senior.

"Figures you get such an excitable greeting." Brittany observed dryly of the childrens reaction once he had finished greeting the adults, who had by now all entered the dining area, and leant over to give her a kiss on the cheek. There was a smile on her lips though so it was clear no malice was intended "When I get home they just go sprinting straight passed me."

"Can you blame them?" he teased and Brittany slapped his arm playfully.

"Johan, this is my _friend_, Rachel Berry. Rachel, this is my Aunt Gina's son; Johan" Brittany introduced. Rachel offered him her hand weakly, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the sudden movement and talkative people around her. The idea of sitting down to dinner with these seven, rather rowdy people was a foreign one to Rachel who was used to having quiet dinners with just her generally reserved fathers; both being estranged from their families.

"Always great to meet one of Brittanys _friends_." Johan replied, mimicking Brittanys emphasis with a mocking tone as they shook hands. Rachel frowned slightly, not really sure what he was getting at, before being distracted by everyone starting to take their places at the table.

Conversation flowed naturally as they all began to eat, and Rachel enjoyed the way they all chatted about what was going on in their lives and didn't change to the more generic topics of conversation because of her presence. She felt like she was getting an honest glance into Brittany's home life while at the same time they successfully stopped her from feeling too out of the loop. Rachel also found the familys dynamic, which was so different to her own familys, fascinating to watch. The banter and the lively discussions giving Rachel a better understanding of Brittany as a person.

Rachel had never really entered into a full on discussion with her fathers; not that they were cold or distanced from her but they had raised her with the mentality that what they said goes. Brittany, on the other hand, although it was clear she respected her parents, was currently having an animated debate with her father over whether or not the Cheerios should be forced to wear uniforms when not at practice – or at least that's what she thought it was about; it was hard to keep up because though Brittanys family were trying to be considerate to the fact Rachel only spoke English they tended to forget and would switch back to Dutch for a few minutes before remembering and returning to English again.

"So I know Rachel plans to sleep over this evening but is Santana also planning on stopping by?" Brittanys mom asked a short while later when the conversation lulled

"Not tonight." Brittany responded

"Oh good, my ears could use a break." Stacy commented dramatically, causing Rachel to almost choke on her food.

"Hey, don't make things up. Your rooms on the other end of the hall from mine and we always make a point of not being too loud." Brittany argued, not noticing how Rachel was gaping at her, trying to determine whether Brittany was actually referencing her sex life in front of her parents, who didn't seem to even mind, or if the double meaning was unintentional.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up Stacy, Rachel may be even louder than Santana." Johan added in, causing the two younger girls to giggle and Rachel to blush bright red as she was now pretty certain her initial theory had been right. Brittany aimed a kick at Johan under the table making him wince while Mrs Pierce frowned at Brittany chidingly.

"I've already said that Rachel and I are just friends."

"So what? It'd be such a pity to break from tradition, don't you think."

"Johan, leave them alone." Gina scolded her son gently while they all chuckled at Rachels expression.

"It's fine." Rachel assured them, taking a large sip of water "What's this tradition?" Rachel should have known she'd regret the question as Johan grinned mischievously.

"You know, most people would find this inappropriate dinner conversation." Brittany interrupted before he could say anything, trying to change the topic. Brittany's family had always been the open minded sort, and had no problem discussing normally taboo subjects like sex – they were even comfortable to freely acknowledged that their daughter had sex with her girlfriend and would even occasionally tease her about it. Brittany herself was used to this, but she was fairly certain Rachel was not.

"Since when are we most people?" Brittany's father asked "Besides, why shouldn't we talk about sex? It's a natural, healthy part of life as long as you're responsible about it. It's only the strictures of society that make one hesitate to discuss it."

"Yes, but we are a part of the society and so should abide by those strictures." It was an argument Brittany had made many a time – not because she particularly disagreed with her father but because she enjoyed discussing his opinions, and in today's case, wanted to distract everyone from Johan's comments. As she knew he would, Brittany's father issued his rebuttal.

Rather than get drawn into the debate though, like the rest of the table, Johan turned his attention back to Rachel after a moment. "You know there's not many _friends_ Brittany's brought to a family dinner," he explained as Brittany turned her attention from her father just in time to hear his words "and, well, lets just say every time one of them stays over the house hold has to break out the ear buds again."

It took Rachel a second to realise what he meant and then a further moment to work out something else. Brittany could see the change in Rachels demeanour the second she did.

"Would you excuse me?" Rachel asked of her hosts in a quiet voice as she stood and placed her napkin on the table, turning to head out of the room before anyone could reply.

"stommerik" (_Idiot_) Brittany muttered at Johan over the now unusually quiet table as she stood to go after the brunette. She knew though that Johan had only meant to tease and make her uncomfortable and hadn't known what he was inadvertently suggesting with that statement.

Walking into the passage, Brittany saw Rachel had found the wash closet and locked herself in.

"Rachel." She called, knocking softly.

Rachel sighed as she watched herself in the mirror. It wasn't that she minded if Brittany and Quinn had more than a purely platonic history, just that it had been kept from her.

"Rachel, Johans an idiot. He's also exaggerating."

"So you didn't sleep with my girlfriend?" Rachel clarified, not opening the door.

"No." Rachel felt a little relief seep into her.

"And-"

"Rachel, I'm not having a conversation with you through a wooden door." Brittany cut her off. A moment later she could hear the lock click as Rachel came out into the passage.

"You really need to stop jumping to conclusions so quickly." Brittany scolded lightly while Rachel looked mildly embarrassed. "Johan was just teasing me, you don't seriously think I sleep with everyone I bring to dinner?" Rachel honestly wasn't sure because she hadn't really been friends with the blond when she was still sleeping around with people other to Santana, but she decided that that was probably not a good thing to admit since it apparently wasn't true.

"I suppose not."

"Good, then lets get back to the table before they finish without us." Brittany wanted to discuss Rachels reaction further but knew it would have to wait until later. Returning to the table, a rather red faced Rachel apologised to her hosts for her disappearance, and Johan offered her an apology of his own, after which things ran smoothly.

Once Stacy and Joanna had finished clearing the table Brittany had quickly dragged Rachel upstairs before Johan could come up with something more accidentally damaging to reveal. Making a point to purposely close her bedroom door as Johan walked past, heading back downstairs from the bathroom. Brittany turned back to Rachel, who was glancing about the room curiously.

"So, that was my family." Brittany said as way of a conversation starter.

"They're...energetic." Rachel said jokingly, unable to come up with a word to appropriately describe them. Brittnay laughed.

"I suppose so. That's probably why Quinn doesn't come over often, I think she finds it rather unsettling. That and the way we tend to just discuss whatever's on our minds."

"Like sex." Rachel commented.

"Like sex." Brittany agreed, "There are very few off limit subjects in this house, particularly now that Stacy's older." Well it certainly explained why Brittany rarely got more than mildly embaressed, Rachel mused.

"So your parents really just let you and Santana..."

"They believe that acts of physical pleasure, like sex, are completely normal and as teenagers we're going to do it anyway, so at least we can have a safe environment. Though Santana and I don't normally have sex here because she thinks it's slightly creepy with my parents down the hall and knowing what we're up to."

"Huh, Santana with scruples, who would have thought?" Rachel murmured with a smile as she took a seat on Brittany's bed, noticing a framed photo on Brittany's dresser. It was of a slightly younger Brittany, Santana and Quinn sitting on the bleachers in the gym. "I'm sorry about earlier." Rachel added after a moment "It's just you and Santana have a history with Quinn that I'm not a part of and I can't help wonder sometimes how much I don't know."

"Well there's a lot you don't know." Brittany replied gently, turning her desk chair around and sitting to face Rachel. "Santana, Quinn and I have been friends for over ten years and a lot has happened in that time. You can't expect to know everything we've learnt about each other in only the 10 months you've been dating Quinn. If it makes you feel better though, in those ten months, you've seen a side of Quinn that neither Santana nor I ever have."

"So neither of you have ever had sex with her?"

"That's not the only way I meant, but no, we haven't." Brittany assured her

"Have you ever thought about it?" Rachel blurted out before realising just what she was asking and blushing.

"Have you ever thought about it with Santana or I?" Brittany returned with a smirk as Rachel became flustered ; already having suspected the answer.

Rachel was saved from replying though when the bedroom door burst open to admit Johan.

"Damn, i was hoping o at least catch some making out." He fake pouted after glancing around the room to find both girls sitting innocently with a good few feet of space between them.

"You're practically my brother, you're not meant to be excited by that idea." Brittany pointed out.

"I wasn't." He protested "I was hoping that I'd be able to break it up and save you from being ravaged by this seductress."

Rachel chuckled as he winked at her playfully and Brittany rolled her eyes. "You didn't do that when you caught me and Santana going at it."

"Yeah, well that chick scares me." This caused both girls to pack up laughing, especially with Johan being easily twice Santana's size.

"Those fears would be well founded if you interrupted Santana 'getting her mack on'" Rachel replied jokingly.

"So other to your hopes of saving me from Rachel, is there any particular reason for you interrupting us from a fascinating discussion?"

"Oh, what about?"

"Something that is far too advanced for someone with your IQ to understand." Brittany replied tartly, ending Rachels momentary panic that she would tell him what they had actually been discussing. Johan's expression morphed into one of mock hurt for a moment before flicking back to a smile and answering Brittanys previous question.

"Jo's sleeping over again and your Mom asked if you check on their homework and get them in bed...She did ask if I could help too, but..."

"It's fine." Brittany replied quickly before adding for Rachels benefit "The last time he tried to help them they were up an extra two hours after their bedtimes."

"How did you manage to do that?" Rachel chuckled.

"They were struggling with their maths and Johan decided it was a good idea to use sweets and coke in a practical example – sugar and caffeine high ensued.

"You want to come help me?" Brittany added to Rachel as she stood up "Otherwise you can stay and fiddle on my laptop if you'd prefer."

"I'll help." Rachel decided, standing to follow Brittany down the hall to her sisters room.

Entering the room they found Stacy sitting on her bed with a board game spread out before her.

"Hey Stac, where's Jo?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh. Okay, well it's getting late and we still need to go over you guys' homework before bedtime."

"Can we just play a little longer Britt; I'm winning." Stacy made puppy dog eyes at the pair. Brittany glanced at her watch.

"Five minutes and then we go over homework." Brittany phrased it as a question, though it clearly wasn't.

"Fine." Stacy pouted as Joanna re-entered the room. "Jo, Britt zegt dat we nog maar vijf minuten hebben om te spelen voordat we ons huiswerk met haar moeten overlopen."(_Jo, Britt says we only have five more minutes to play before we have to go over our homework with her)_

"You want something to drink while we wait?" Brittany offered Rachel and they both headed back to the kitchen, passing through the lounge where Brittany's parents were watching tv.

"Britt, ga je de meisjes helpen met hun huiswerk en hen in bed stoppen voor mij?" (_Britt, you going to help the girls with their homework and get them into bed for me?) _Brittanys mother called once they had gotten their juice and were heading back through.

"Ja, Rachel gaat helpen"(_Yes, Rachel's going to help)._

"Goed, goed, roep ons om goedenacht tegen hen te komen zeggen_" (Good, good, call us to come say goodnight to them.) _

Brittany quickly translated the just of the conversation as she and Rachel mounted the stairs again.

"Britt, do your parents know about your and Santana's...arrangement?" Rachel asked curiously when she was sure they were out of her parents earshot

"No, no. I may be close with my family, but I prefer to keep the details of my relationship with Santana to myself." They arrived outside Stacy's door again "Don't get drawn in by their puppy dog faces," Brittany warned in half seriousness as they could hear the girls talking. "Okay, times up." Brittany announced as they entered

"Aww, a little longer?" Joanna pleaded, looking up from the game.

"No, you had your five minutes. You can leave the game on the side if you want and pick up where you left off tomorrow night."

"Can't we play after we're done with our homework if there's time?"

"It'll get you too riled up before bedtime." Brittany explained as she denied the request.

"Rachel, can't you tell her to let us play a bit longer?" Stacy asked when it was clear Brittany wasn't going to budge. Rachel was very nearly drawn into saying yet at their pleading expressions but she knew it wasn't her place to contradict Brittany.

"Sorry, she's the boss." Rachel deflected and both girls dejectedly began packing up the game; knowing they'd never go back to it the next day.

Once the game was cleared away the girls retrieved their school bags, and pulled out their homework diaries, Stacy handing hers to Brittany and Jo handing hers to Rachel.

"Just go through and check she's completed everything written down for today, and glance through a few of her answers to check she got the right idea." Brittany instructed and for the next 15 minutes or so they did just that.

Rachel watched with some amusement as Brittany discovered that Stacy hadn't finished her English worksheet properly and scolded her brusquely, insisting Stacy complete it then and there.

Once the homework had been checked and books packed away, Brittany had the girls get ready for bed while she pulled out the spare bed for Joanna (Stacy had one of those beds that had a second roll out mattress stored in the base).

"Santana used to stay over here so often when we were younger that my parents brought this bed because it was easier than setting up and then packing away a camper cot every few days." Brittany explained, while Rachel stood awkwardly to one side watching – Stacy had gone to brush her teeth and Joanna wanted some water to drink. "When San and I gave up the pretence of sleeping in separate beds and my parents decided to get me a Queen bed I passed it along to Stacy. Can you hand me the bedding in the top shelf o the cupboard over there?"

Rachel quickly retrieved the required items and helps Brittany finish making the bed.

"Ok _schattebouts_, into bed with you both." Brittany directed the girls, who had re-entered the room. They turned on the bed side light and Brittany indicated for Rachel, who was standing near the switch, to turn out the main light.

"Alright you two," Brittany addressed both girls who, though under the covers were still sitting up. Brittany moved to perch on the end of the bed though Rachel hovered near the doorway, feeling out of place. "So what were some of the good parts of today?" It was a ritual the sisters did every day, with Joanna when she was there.

"Joanna came over." Stacy started things off

"Kerry-Anne invited me to her party next week." Joanna supplied.

"I got to see Santana." Brittany said.

"She always says that." Stacy added to Rachel.

"Yes, because that's always a good part of my day." Brittany replied. There was a pause before Rachel realised they were all waiting for her to say something.

"I got to meet you two." Rachel answered after a moment of thought.

"We learnt a new song in Choir practice." Stacy continued with her second reason.

"Mrs Stewart let us talk quietly for the last five minutes of class because we finished all our work early."

"Coach Sylvester didn't shout directly at me during Cheerio's practice."

"Umm...I got an A on my English paper." Rachel supplied when it was her turn and Stacy gave her a quick applause.

"Okay, last one, so make it a good one." Brittany warned them as Johan poked his head in the doorway

"Johan came to dinner." Joanna grinned at him.

"I wanted to say that one." Stacy complained half-heartedly. "Well I guess I'll say then that it was nice weather so we got to spend lunch break outside."

"I got to spend time with all my friends at school and Mr Schue is told me I could choreograph the next glee group number." Both girls made quick congratulatory comments.

"I got to have a lovely dinner with my best friend and her family." Rachel finished the cycle.

"Johan, what about your day?" Joanna asked quickly and they all turned to look at him.

"Okay, well I got to meet the famous Rachel Berry," Johan began, causing Rachel to blush "I got to see my little sister," he winked at Joanna "and i got to tease Britt about her love life." Brittany just rolled her eyes as the others chuckled.

"Alright then, goodnight you two," Brittany said as she leant over give Stacy a kiss on the cheek before repeating the procedure with Joanna. "I'll send Mama and Papa up in a moment."

Johan moved into the room then, also giving each a kiss. Rachel was about to leave when she heard them both call a soft good night to her, which she returned before following the others out into the passageway.

"I'll go call your parents." Johan murmured to Brittany, heading to the stairs.

"You're really good with them." Rachel commented as they re-entered her bedroom. Watching Brittany with her sister had explained a lot about her

"Thanks. You saw them on a good day though. Sometimes those two can argue from here to Christendom to stay up later."

"I'm sure you put up with that." Rachel replied sarcastically, causing Brittany to smile before sobering somewhat.

"Santana thinks my parents rely on me too much when it comes to Stacy."

"Do you?"

"Yes, although I don't mind it." Brittany replied slowly, considering her words "but I think that Stacy misses out to some extent."

"That whole saying the good things that happened to you before bed is a good idea." Rachel commented, unable to think of an appropriate remark to Brittany's words.

"That was my mothers thing." Brittany explained "She used to do it with me when I was quite a bit younger than them. She always said you must only remember the good things when going to sleep..." Rachel didn't miss the wistful tone in Brittany's voice "I still do it for myself at night and it's helped me through some hard times so I wanted to pass it on to them."

There was a knock on the door and Johan popped his head in the room.

"No sneak attacks this time." Brittany observed dryly.

"I just wanted to let you know that my mom and I are leaving." He explained, ignoring the jibe, opening the door wider to show Brittanys aunt in the passage way. Brittany quickly got up to give her aunt a hug goodbye.

"Take care of yourself"_. _Brittany said to Johan as she moved to give him a hug, while Rachel bid her aunt goodbye. "And come past more often, we don't see each other nearly enough since you moved out of your parents place_"_

"I'll try. Ik vind Rachel leuk, ze is een leuke verandering van de gemene meisjes waar je normaal vrienden mee bent."_.(And I like Rachel, she's a nice change from the mean/bitchy girls you're normally friends with). _Brittany smacked his arm on principal at the jibe but she knew what he meant.

"You really are tiny, you know that?" Johan asked without malice as he gave Rachel a hug.

"I was aware." Rachel joked back. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too."

"So, movie?" Brittany suggested once Johan and her Aunt Gina had left. They decided to change into their pyjama's first before settling down on Brittany's bed to watch Love Actually off Brittanys laptop since she didn't have a tv in her room. By the time the credits rolled Rachel was already sleeping on Brittanys shoulder.

Brittany gently coaxed Rachel to lie down into a more conventional sleeping position on one side of the bed. Quietly slipping out of bed, Brittany wandered downstairs to say goodnight to her parents before going back to slide under the covers and allow sleep to claim her.

**AN2: **Okay, so that was the next instalment. I had to make Brittany's family a bit odd given who their daughter is. Comments? Reviews? Suggestions & Prompts? ;)


	6. The Long Weekend

**Title:** The Long Weekend

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 3 900

**Spoilers:** None

**Pairing: **Santana/Quinn

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Consensual Spanking 

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **It's the long week end and Santana invites the girls to her parents holiday cabin.

**A/N: **Okay, so this has been written and re-written like 5 times over but I'm finally ready to post it.

As a heads up to those following me on Twitter, the twist I referred to a few days ago won't be for another few chapters.

Enjoy, and please leave a comment/ review when you're done!

-0-0-0-0-

"QUINN!" Santana's voice echoed through the cabin, startling the other three inhabitants, the blond in question cringing as she heard heavy footfalls sound down the passageway. It was a long weekend and Santana's parents had suggested she take a few friends up to their cabin. She had naturally jumped at the opportunity and, at Brittany's insistence, invited Quinn and Rachel along – a decision she was regretting, now more than ever.

"Quinn, do you remember yesterday, when you mentioned you were planning on painting your nails?" Santana demanded as she entered the lounge where the others were relaxing.

"Yes," .

"And you remember me saying that my parents would kill me if you spilt any so to make sure you put some paper down?" Santana raised an eyebrow and Quinn begrudgingly nodded "So then would you care to come and explain something to me?"

The latina stormed back out of the room and Quinn cast a worried glance at the other two before getting up to follow. Rachel made to do likewise but Brittany stopped her.

"Let them sort it out first." She suggested and Rachel reluctantly sat leant back into the chair.

Meanwhile, Quinn followed Santana back into the room she and Rachel were sharing, blushing as she saw the large red spot of dried nail polish on her white pillow and a second on the cream coloured carpet beside the bed. Santana, glared at her, waiting for an explanation with her arm crossed tightly across her chest.

"What the fuck am I meant to tell my parents, Q?" she demanded after over a minute of silence.

"I'll replace the pillow case." Quinn snapped, getting slightly irritated how big of a deal Santana was making of it.

"And the carpet?" Santana questioned "because as far as I'm aware, nail polish stains. You know there was a reason I warned you to put some paper down. Q, it's a white room for christs sake! Surely it just made sense."

"I know but I never normally spill," Quinn defended "I thought it would be fine, but then when I dropped on the pillow I tried to grab the bottle but it fell onto the floor."

"It's so typical of you. You never listen to anyone but yourself. It's just common courtesy that if you're staying at someone elses house and they ask you to put down something to protect their furniture, then you do just that." Santana ranted angrily "It's actually courtesy to do that even when not asked."

"I said I'd replace the pillow case." Quinn pointed out

"That's not a proper consequence. It wont even dent your allowance." the latina dismissed and Quinn thought about that. She always had been curious what it was like to be on the receiving end of a spanking, more so after everything that had happened with Rachel this year and she had even considered once or twice asking someone to spank her before chickening out because it would have just been weird and awkward, but now that the opportunity was presenting itself, Quinn couldn't quite bring herself to let it pass by, she didn't know how Santana would react to the suggestion.

"You could always make more appropriate consequences" she murmured apprehensively.

Santana cast her a curiously incredulous look, "What do you mean?"

"Just ...if you were to...that is to say, I wouldn't blame you...I couldn't let Rachel but...and it's not really fair that I'm the only one who doesn't..."Quinn mumbled, surprising Santana even more.

"Q, you are suggesting what I think right?" Santana interrupted "I'm not jumping to the wrong conclusions or something?" Quinn's averted gaze answered her question. "And you want me to do it?"

That question threw Quinn, she hadn't really thought about it – just that this was a good opportunity to find out what a spanking felt like. She quickly considered. Rachel she knew she could never ask because, well it was Rachel, and she didn't want her girlfriend to see her in that position (figuratively and literally). Brittany was another possibility but she had occasionally seen glimpses of Britt in her 'disciplinarian role' and was a little scared of seeing that side of Brittany directed at her. Of the three, she had been friends with Santana the longest and was probably the most similar to her, and so, Quinn reasoned, would be the most understanding. Subconsciously, she also chose Santana because she felt she would be able to back out and regain control of the situation from Santana simply by arguing with her if she changed her mind, something she wasn't sure she would be able to do with Brittany because Brittany always used a reasoned logic that made argument impossible.

"There's not that many options. I mean I could never with Rach and B...I know she does for you but ...it would be more awkward than this is." Quinn replied, didn't want to say the real reason for not wanting Brittany.

"Alright, but I'll need to talk to B first." Quinn gave a small nod and Santana left the room, going back into the lounge to find both Brittany and Rachel waiting for her.

"Lets go for a walk." She suggested to the taller blond, who happily took her proffered hand "Quinn's in your guys' room."

Rachel nodded and stood to go find her while Santana and Brittany headed out into the summer air.

"Everything okay?" Brittany asked as they meandered down to the lakeside. Santana gave her a rueful smile but nodded and quickly explained the reasons for her ire.

"I mentioned to Quinn her habit of always just doing her own thing and not listening to anyone else." Santana explained, her and Britt having previously discussed this very point

"I thought you were going to spank Quinn when you wanted her to follow you back to the room." Brittany commented

"It was brought up, by Quinn, oddly enough. I said I had to talk to you about it first."

"Why? You know I'd be fine with it; I'd be fine if you two did more than that too." Brittany hinted suggestively. "I mean, not in these specific circumstances obviously, but at another time."

"And that's why you're the best girlfriend in the world." Santana complimented, although she already knew this would be the case. "However I also wanted to give her a chance to talk to Rachel about it and I wouldn't want to do anything else with Q unless you were involved – not that she would do anything with us anyway thanks to that ball and chain Rachel has around her neck."

"Rachel we could get to come around. I think she'd be more open to this than you give her credit for, especially if she were involved. If anything Q will be the difficult one, although the fact she is open to the idea of a spanking is promising."

"So wait, you actually want us to be more than purely platonic friends with them?"

"Well it's not something I'd object to but I'm happy to just keep it us if you want." Santana stopped walking to stare at her for a minute before Brittany realised and stopped, turning back to eye Santana questioningly "Please tell me you're not about to have sudden insecurities about me thinking you're not enough for me?"

"No, I'm just wondering how you could possibly be any more awesome." Brittany skipped back over to loop her arms around Santana's neck and give her a quick kiss.

"I know." She replied succinctly before grabbing Santana's hand and sprinting off along the path, pulling the tan girl with, giggling happily. If they really did land up having a foursome with their friends they both knew there would need to be a much more serious discussion before hand, but neither was in the mood for that right then. When they reached a large tree growing by the lakeside Brittany came to a sto and turned so her back pressed against the rough bark, drawing Santana's arms around her waist and kissing her deeply.

After making out for a while, somehow ending up lying on the ground beside said tree, Santana reluctantly pulled away.

"I'm worried about doing this." Santana admitted with a sigh "It'll change things with our friendship, but I'm not sure how yet."

"Whether you say yes or no, things will still change. " Brittany pointed out, taking Santana's hand in her own.

"I'm worried about Quinns reasons as well." Santana continued after a moment "I don't think it's because she feels she needs consequences. It's more like she just wants to experience what a spanking is like and I don't know if I'm comfortable with that."

"Well even if they're not her reasons for suggesting it, they can still be the reason for you spanking her and if nothing else, it'll be good for Quinn to know what a spanking feels like. I've never liked the fact that she's comfortable punishing Rachel when she really has no idea what it's like herself."

"Mmm," Santana mumbled in acknowledgement as she thought things through, settling on a decision. "I guess we had better get back." Brittany pouted, wanting nothing more to remain relaxing on the grass for the rest of the day. Santana leant down to quickly kiss it away. "So you really don't mind possibly having sexytimes with Quinn and Rachel?" She asked, lightening her heavy mood though with an undertone of seriousness.

"Nope." Brittany replied, popping the 'p'

"Best girlfriend ever." The latina mumbled again as she got to her feet and then helped the blond up.

They got back to the cabin to find Quinn sitting with Rachel on the sofa.

Santana made a small beckoning nod before heading through to her bedroom, indicating Quinn should follow.

"It'll be fine and you'll feel better afterwards." Rachel whispered, giving Quinns hand a final squeeze and leaning over to give her a kiss. Taking a deep breath, Quinn rose to follow Santana as Brittany went to sit in her vacated seat.

Entering the room, Quinn found Santana staring out of the window as she waited. The sound of the door shutting drew Santana's attention to the other girl.

"Q, I want you to tell me why I should spank you?" Quinns guard immediately went up at Santana's authoritative tone.

"You already know that." Quinn snapped.

"I still want you to tell me." Santana insisted.

"Because I spilt nail polish on the pillow and floor." Quinn replied quickly, wanting to move on.

"That's not exactly it, try again." Quinn knew what Santana wanted her to say, the words were there at the tip of her tongue, but there was no way she was giving the latina the satisfaction of saying it, so she remained silent, holding her ground. Santana was equally determined not to give in - If they were going to do this then Quinn had to understand right from the start that it would be on her terms.

They both waited each other out, and it was only after five minutes of silence, during which the determination in Santana's gaze never wavered, that Quinn finally relented and gave in, remembering she had in fact been the one to suggest this.

"Fine, because I don't listen to anyone but myself." She admitted harshly.

"That's part of the reason but not all." Santana replied sternly.

"I don't know what other reason." Quinn huffed after a moment thought.

"Q, this only works if we're both on the same page. Why did you suggest that I spank you?"

"Because I agree that I need consequences?" Quinn guessed at what she thought Santana wanted to hear.

"Don't insult me Q, we both know that's not the real reason."

Quinn blushed, averting her gaze, realising that her friend had worked out her true motivations but there was no way she could admit that she wanted a spanking just to know what it was like. "I can't..."

"Yes you can." Santana's tone was infused with conviction that left no room for argument, giving Quinn a bit of courage. And after a few moments she managed to barely get out the whispered words.

"I want to know what it's like to be spanked."

"Now that's the real reason." Santana lightened her tone, not wanting the whole experience to be more serious than it had to be. "And I will spank you for that reason, along with the others you've given me. Undo your shorts buttons and then come and lean over my lap." She instructed as she moved sit on the bed. The whole situation feeling completely different to Santana, compared to when she had to punish Brittany for something because although the pretence was that of a punishment, it wasn't actually about that.

Unbuttoning her shorts Quinn mused internally about how often she had said similar words to Rachel, finding the paradox rather disconcerting. She also gained a new respect for Rachel for being able to submit in this way. Going to stand on Santana's right she stared down apprehensively but couldn't bring herself to move.

"Q, we've been friends for years, surely you know I'm left handed?" Santana asked with an amused smile. Surprisingly Quinn felt a little better at this comment, remembering Santana was still the same girl she had known for the majority of her life and who, despite their differences over the years, she trusted implicitly.

Flushing, Quinn moved to her left side but again couldn't bring herself to lean over. She was actually starting to frustrate herself with how difficult she was finding everything, not to mention the added embarrassment caused by the situation. Taking pity on the girl Santana took a hold of her wrist and gave it a yank, catching Quinn off guard and sending her tumbling into place, with her torso supported on the bed and her bottom pointing skyward.

"So," Santana began, smoothing her hands over Quinns fabric covered ass in a way that was both disconcerting and strangely comforting to the blond. Quinn had to force herself not to object at such intimate contact, and remind herself that Santana was going to be spanking that same area in a few minutes. "Just to recap, I'm spanking you for two reasons today. The first is in the hope that next time someone asks you to do something, this will give you pause enough to not just ignore the request without thought, and the second is so that you can experience what it's like to receive a spanking, correct?"

"Yes."She forced out quickly, refusing to hesitate again. Santana's hands stilled and Quinn tensed further; expecting the first smack, but after a moment Santana resumed rubbing.

Santana decided that since it was Quinn's first time, she had better explain how she did things. "Okay, so do you notice how you're relatively relaxed right now?" she asked, giving Quinns rear a light pat to indicate where she was talking about. Much to Quinn's surprise, she found she had actually unclenched her muscles as she grew used to the latina's touch. She nodded.

"Verbal answers Q." Santana corrected "unless I say otherwise I expect you to answer my questions verbally."

"Sorry, yes." Santana was highly tempted to increase Quinns embarrassment by insisting on the use of some sort of a title for her but knew it would probably only cause more harm than good in what was a rather fragile situation. She was actually surprised that Quinn ha gone this far without objecting and calling the whole thing off.

"Now I expect you to try stay relaxed like this throughout your spanking." Quinn actually pushed herself up slightly to look back at Santana at that, she could not be serious. "Normally, I would start over if you clench your muscles when I use the brush, but since you're not used to this I won't go quite that far, but I won't count the swat."

"It's not possible to not ...tense." Quinn argued, her stomach tying in knots at the thought of Santana using a brush, knowing how much Rachel hated said item and a little scared of what how she would react – she really didn't want to be reduced to all out bawling over Santana's lap. Santana wasn't insisting on this to be mean though – she just wanted to be cautious and reduce the risk of bruising.

"It's entirely possible, I assure you." Santana spoke from experience. "Also, you can make as much noise as you like and squirm about, there's no shame in it and I don't mind - actually, if I were you I'd take advantage of the fact that we're practically in the middle of nowhere and don't have to worry about nosy neighbours because trying to keep quiet can be a bitch sometimes. However, don't try to get up and don't try to use your hands to stop me. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, lift your hips for me." Quinn reluctantly did so, suddenly feeling much more exposed as Santana lowered her shorts to reveal her panties. "This is the one and only time I'm going to spank you over your panties." Santana warned, deciding to make this small concession since Quinn had been rather unobjectionable, especially considering it was her first time.

Raising her hand Santana waited as Quinn involuntarily tensed before forcing herself to relax, the second she had Santana brought her hand down with medium strength. Quinn made a small sound on impact but otherwise remained silent and still. Santana began a slow but steady rhythm, raising a light pink tinge to the area. Once she was sure the whole area had been spanked twice over she stopped.

"Okay, I'm only giving you ten with the brush. You don't have to count." Picking up the item Quinn hadn't noticed from the bedside table Santana laid the cold wood on Quinn's rear, causing her to jump at the unexpectedness of it.

"Relax." Santana ordered as she brought the brush up, before bringing it down in an arch the second Quinn did so. This time Quinn did cry out, amazed at how much more the brush hurt and wondering how she was going to take ten more.

Raising the brush again, Quinn only just remembered to relax before it made contact with her skin for the second time. By the fourth tears were pricking at her eyes and she was trying to physically move out of the way of the punishing implement, but Santana hit her mark each and every time.

When Santana delivered the eighth smack she couldn't help it anymore and reached her hand around to try cover her punished rear. Deftly grabbing the hand Santana pinned it to the small of her back.

"I warned you Quinn." Santana muttered as she rapidly delivered two spanks to either side of her previously untouched thighs, causing Quinn to buck wildly and cry out. Tears finally beginning to spill down her cheeks and Santana wondered at her surprisingly low pain tolerance. She guessed it had more to do with the humiliation aspect than the actual physical pain. "Two more and we're done."

Bracing herself to stop Quinn literally jumping right off her lap Santana delivered the final two to the direct centre of her bottom, the second on top of the first.

Putting the brush down Santana waited for Quinn to catch her breath and pay attention again, not releasing her firm grip on her one wrist.

"So, next time someone asks you to do something, do you think you can at least consider that they may have a good reason for asking?"

"Y..yes." Quinn muttered lowly.

"Alright. You can get up if you're ready." Quinn practically leapt up, her hands flying to her rear and Santana pulled her into a much needed hug, not commenting on her furious rubbing. The girls feeling closer to each other than they had been in years. Much to her surprise, Quinn found herself feeling rather emotionally raw, coupled with gratitude to the latina for what she did and relief at being held somewhat accountable for her actions for the first time in a long time.

"S, can I go see Rach now?" she asked as they separated from the hug.

"I want you to have some corner time first." Santana denied the request, wanting to give Quinn a little more time to recover and consider what had happened for herself. She gently steered her towards the one unoccupied corner "Put your hands on your head and keep them there."

Santana delivered two more stinging smacks once Quinn's hands were out of the way, reigniting some of the fire before moving to grab a skirt for Quinn out of her cupboard and then lounging on the bed to wait out the blonds corner time.

"Okay Quinn, you can come out now." Santana called after about ten minutes, rising off the bed herself and handing Quinn a skirt she had retrieved from the cupboard. "Trust me, you'll appreciate not having to wear denims right now."

Once Quinn was redressed Santana initiated another hug. "Thanks." Quinn murmured quietly.

"No problem. Do you want me to send Rachel through or are you going to go find her?"

"Can you send her through?" Quinn requested gratefully, sighing in relief when the door closed behind the latina as a final sign that it was over and done with. There was a timid knock on the door and Quinn felt herself flush again as she realised that Rachel probably heard some, if not all of her spanking..

"Quinn?" Rachel called softly when she got no reply.

"You can come in Rach." Rachel entered cautiously, unsure of what sort of a state Quinn would be in since there had been very little sound issuing from the room during Quinn's spanking .

"Hey," Rachel greeted her softly and quickly walked over to stand before the blond, raising her hands to wipe away tears Quinn had not realised were falling. "Why are you crying?" Rachel could tell these weren't the normal remorseful tears that followed most spankings.

"I don't know." Quinn admitted with a chuckle, "I never realised how much something as simple as a spanking would affect me emotionally."

Rachel didn't reply, just offering a soft kiss in understanding before kindly leading her back through to their room and towards the bed. She could remember how confusing and exhausting her first spanking had been and was certain Quinn needed a nap right about then. Settling onto the bed she encouraged Quinn to do likewise, most unusually assuming the position of the big, though physically smaller, spoon and throwing her tan leg over Quinns milky white ones. Pressing a kiss to Quinns neck Rachel just lay there, providing silent support as they drifted off to sleep.

Waking up a couple of hours later, Quinn found herself feeling better than she had in a long while, the spanking already seeming distant and surreal. Un-entangling herself from Rachel, who was still asleep, she climbed up off the bed and headed over to the mirror, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Lifting her skirt and lowering her panties to her knees Quinn eyed her light pink bottom. She could admit now that despite what she had felt at the time, Santana had gone rather easy on her.

"You'll be completely back to normal in a few hours." Rachel commented as she rose, going to stand next to her girlfriend and lightly dancing her fingers over her backside. "Santana wasn't all that hard on you."

"Mentally, I know that but I still have a hard time believing it." Rachel chuckled good naturedly and tugged Quinn's skirt back into place.

"Come on, Brittany mentioned she was going to make flapjacks earlier and I want to get some before Santana finishes them all."

**AN2: **Okay so what did you think? I think this is the first time I've written something where the motivation for a spanking was curiosity, but I thought it'd fit better with Quinn's character.

A note on the story's progress, we are getting closer to the two couples becoming a quad – I promise there will be faberrittana in the end - I'm estimating about another 3 or 4 chapters until it's official (but that's a rough guess so please don't hold me to it).

As always I would love to know what you thought about the chapter and any idea's you have on the story and characters in general, so please leave me a comment/review!


	7. A Sunny Afternoon

**Chapter Title: **A Sunny Afternoon

**Author: **Stargirl888

**Word Count: **About 2700

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **NC-17

**WARNINGS: **Fairly Graphic Lesbian Sex

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Brittany and Santana enjoy an afternoon together while discussing the possibilities of forming a quad.

**A/N: **Yay, I'm actually updating on the day I said I would :)I know a lot of you have been tweeting and PM'ing me about when this chapter would be out and I'm sorry for the delay. I think this is the first time I'm writing smut for this series. I don't think anyone will be objectionable but if you don't want to read it you can stop reading when they start kissing and you won't miss too much story wise.

Enjoy, and please comment when you're done!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After Quinn's spanking the girls found themselves to be even more comfortable around each other. It wasn't spoken of but it was just little things that that hadn't done before. They were more open with each other, they wouldn't try to avoid 'couple' moments, like kissing during romantic scenes in a movie or even just lounging about in close proximity with their respective girlfriends on the couch while they all chatted. Rachel had remarked to Quinn that it was like the difference between being around good friends and being around family - an analogy Quinn hadn't understood, given how reserved and proper her family always behaved around each other.

The only problem with this new found openness, Rachel found, is where before she had only ever seen Brittany and Santana make out in a hot, showing off kind of way, she now got to see the lighter, more intimate kisses and found herself full of an unexplainable emotion akin to longing every time she watched. It made no sense to her though; she had those moments with Quinn; she loved Quinn more than she thought was possible for a high school girlfriend and she was happy in her relationship, however, she couldn't help wanting to be a part of what Brittany and Santana had as well.

Quinn knew Rachel didn't think she saw the way Rach would look at the other two; she was fairly certain Rachel didn't even realise the look she got when she saw Brittany and Santana snuggling together during a movie. The worst was that Quinn didn't even know how to interpret the expression and every time she raised the topic the other girl would blow her off with some excuse. She wondered, briefly, if she had made a mistake letting Brittany punish Rach, and Santana spank her, messed up their relationships equilibrium or something of that nature but then Rachel would kiss her and tell her she loved her and Quinn would forget her fears and shake it off as her being her normal overanalysing self.

Quinn's relationship with Santana had, most surprisingly, probably undergone the least change. Other to the subtly stronger undercurrent of closeness than that which had been there before, they pretty much went back to how they were before the nail polish incident.

Brittany and Santana just found the whole situation with Quinn and Rachel amusing, watching as they overanalysed everything. They had always found it pointless to dwell excessively on the complexities of relationships; preferring to just accept how things played out.

"You know, I think Rachel is falling in love with us." Brittany remarked the one day, nibbling on an apple as they hung out by the pool at Brittany's house. "Or at least the idea of us."

"And Quinn's worried about losing her to us." Santana replied. "It's going to cause them problems if something's not done soon."

"Rachel wants to be with us, that's definite, but she wants to be with Quinn too." Brittany observed "You want a relationship with Quinn,"

"Wait, what?" Santana spluttered

"Relax would you, it's been obvious since we were at the cabin."Brittany replied impatiently

"I said I wanted to fuck Quinn, there's a difference, and I do recall mentioning you had to be there."

"Oh, I know. I never meant you wanted her _instead _of me. You want us both." Santana just stared dumbstruck, it was one thing considering having sex with Quinn and Brittany, but she had refused to even consider a full relationship. "and Quinn could learn to want a relationship with you...and me."

"It sounds like you're trying to get us all into one big four-person couple." Santana asked disbelievingly

"I don't think it's such a bad idea. We practically are anyway, minus the sex. And what fun is anything without sex"

Santana chuckled.

"But what about you? I notice you didn't mention who you wanted to be with."

"I want to be with you." Brittany assured her "but I wouldn't mind being with them too."

"So let me get this straight. Rachel liked Quinn, and us. Quinn likes Rachel and me, I like you and Quinn, and you like everyone?"

"That's right."

"Fuck, that's one twisted web."

"Not really," Brittany argued "I just need to get Quinn to want to be with me, and we can simplify it to we all want to be with each other - I already know you wouldn't mind being with Rachel." Brittany paused to look at Santana searchingly "How do you feel about this whole idea?"

Santana took a moment to really think about it.

"I don't know...it's a big thing to consider, I mean I know we've shared each other before, but what you're suggesting is more than just sex." Santana replied honestly, talking through her thoughts. "And emotionally I don't know if I could...remember Matt?"

Matt was the first guy Brittany had ever had sex with and it was before Brittany learnt to draw the line between the physical and emotional; she had grown feelings for him which Santana had had a very hard time dealing with. Thinking she was losing Brittany to him, as a pre-emptive self defence mechanism, Santana had tried to break things off with Brittany and it had almost ended their friendship and relationship.

"But San, you already know I care a great deal for Rachel and Quinn and you're okay with it now."

"Because right now I don't have to worry about losing you to them." Santana snapped quickly, revealing the true cause of her hesitance.

"Honey, you never have to worry about that." Brittany consoled, rising from her lounger to go over to where Santana was lying, moving to straddle her thighs.

"I've never minded you sleeping with other people because I always knew you'd come back to me afterwards, but if we dated Quinn and Rachel you wouldn't just be coming back to me." Santana explained in an unusual show of vulnerability.

"Things would be different, but no matter what, we'll still be us. We've always been together and that's not going to change." Brittany's words gave Santana some reassurance "I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you into this though, because like I said, I'm happy with just you but I just want you to think about it, and decide whether you'll be open to the idea if an opportunity comes."

Santana took a few more minutes to really think it through, and other to her fear of losing Brittany, the idea wasn't that objectionable, although the thought of dealing with the demands of another two girlfriends sort of terrified her "If the opportunity were there," Santana replied hesitantly, "I'd be willing to give it a go. Though I have no idea how we're going to get the others to agree to it, especially Chastity Queen."

"You have to stop calling her that," Brittany scolded with an indulgent frown, though she was pleased with Santana's decision, "you're well aware she has a very active sex life with Rachel."

"I don't want to hear about that." Santana protested out of reflex and Brittany just raised an eyebrow.

"So you don't mind the idea of dating and having sex with them but you don't want to hear about them having sex together?" Santana just rolled her eyes, knowing her Brittany had a point.

An idea slowly forming in her head, Brittany began to gently rock her hips.

"I think it would be rather hot." Brittany husked, leaning over so her face was inches from Santana's, Santana's hands instinctively relocating from Brittany's hips to her ass. "Can't you picture Quinn, kissing her way along Rachel's jaw, sucking her pulse point?" Brittany murmured, while doing just as she described, Santana let out a low moan. "Saying the dirtiest things into the little starlet's ears?" she whispered, before biting down onto Santana's earlobe, making her breath hitch. "And I know you've noticed Rachels breasts. Quinn must have a great time playing with those." Brittanys hands moved to cup Santana's, massaging them through the bikini before running her hands around the latina's sides and back to tug loose the strings.

"This is creepy on so many levels." Santana mumbled breathlessly, unable to help the very hot mental images Brittany was creating.

"Knowing Rachel, she'd probably get off on the possibility of being seen, just as you are now." Brittany continued, leaning over to capture a nipple between her lips, sucking hard as Santana glanced around the yard. The fence was high enough that it was unlikely anyone would see, and the yard only bordered other houses but there was still that delicious possibility that someone was at home in one of the second story rooms overlooking the pool. Brittany chuckled darkly as she noticed Santana checking. "And Quinn probably teases her forever, with her Christ Crusaders 'all about the teasing' motto." One of Brittanys hands wondered down to lightly cup Santana's sex through her bikini bottoms.

"I thought..." Santana gasped as Brittany pressed down on her clit "I thought you said...that we couldn't call her...oh Christ...a Christ Crusader anymore?" Santana was practically squirming beneath the blond now as Brittany expertly toyed with her pussy through her costume.

"I said you couldn't," Brittany corrected playfully, her fingers now pressing at Santana's opening, the fabric soaked through. Santana bucked her hips in an attempt to get more pressure

"Still think Rachel and Quinn together aren't hot together?" Brittany asked, pushing aside the fabric now, to allow two fingers to only just enter the other girl.

"Yes." Santana lied, crying out as Brittany roughly rammed two fingers into her unprepared pussy.

"Yes?" Brittany questioned, pinching a nipple, hard, with her other hand.

"Yes." Santana repeated as Brittany began thrusting hard and fast, quickly adding another finger and completely ignoring Santana's clit, tugging her rock hard nipples "So you don't find the idea of Rachel on all fours, Quinn fucking her with a dildo from behind hot? Rachel crying out with perfect pitch on every thrust?"

"Please." Santana begged as Brittany brought her to the brink of orgasm before coming to a dead halt in all her ministrations, her fingers still buried deep inside.

"You know what I want to hear babe."

Santana wavered but was still not willing to give in, and biting her lip, she shook her head no. Brittany frowned, ever so slowly starting to rotate her hand and separate her fingers inside Santana, who let out a guttural moan. Sliding out, Brittany removed one finger before burying the others again.

"Are you absolutely sure?" she checked as that third finger, slick with Santana's juices, moved against her other hole, threatening to enter. Santana's grip on Brittany's hips tightened and her breathing picked up. She only managed to hold out a couple of seconds before crying uncle.

"Fine. Quinn and Rachel are hot together." She gasped and Brittany immediately removed the finger. Repositioning herself Brittany quickly set to work licking, sucking and nipping at Santana's clit, quickly sending her over the edge. Gently licking her through the aftershocks before moving up to lie alongside Santana and cuddle as the tan girl caught her breath.

"Next time," Santana murmured, half seriously "don't equate me to Rachel."

-0-

"So, you really want us to form some sort of four person couple?" Santana asked a short while later, once Brittany had returned to her lounger and they were both laying on their backs tanning.

"Were you serious about us giving it a try?"

"You think I'd say no to having two other chicks ready and willing to have sex with me?" she teased, shrieking indignantly when Brittany took a few half melted pieces of ice from the ice bucket beside her and flicked them at her.

"Seriously?" the blond asked, a smile still tugging at her lips.

"Seriously, the idea of dating Quinn and Rachel is not completely unobjectionable."

"Yay!" Brittany cheered "Now we just have to get Rach on board."

"And Quinn." Santana reminded her.

"Quinn will agree if Rachel does, because she'll not want to risk losing Rachel to us – not that that would happen. Over time she'll want to be with us for other reasons too, and the original ones won't really matter anymore."

"Yeah, and people say I'm manipulative." Santana muttered, though a small, hopeful smile was tugging at her lips.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **So rereading the chapter the whole thing came off a little creepier than I first intended, but I thought I'd post it anyway, otherwise you'd all have had to wait another week for an update.** A**ny comments, thought on the chapter or requests? Please leave a review and let me know!


	8. Skeletons in the Closet Part A

**Chapter Title: **Skeletons in the closet – Part 1 of 2

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 3000

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany / Santana, Faberrittana friendship

**Rating: **PG 13

**WARNINGS: **None for this chapter

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **An argument with a parent leads to a newfound intimacy between the girls

**A/N:** My works internet is down so I decided to try post this using my cell phone instead, hopefully it comes out right. Otherwise, not much for me to say this time. Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement and to KFordy for your guidance on this chapter. Reviews, like always, are enthusiastically received.

-0-0-0-

"Alright guys, so we're doing duets again this week, and I'm going to let you pick your partners." Mr Schuster announced at the end of glee a few days later to be met by some excited murmurs. "however, there is a condition: you cannot partner with someone you're dating" Less happy muttering. "So we have a few minutes before the end for you to pick who you want to sing with and then you have two days to practice and we'll do performances on Wednesday and Thursday."

Quinn gave Rachel a slightly disappointed shrug before getting up to go find a partner. Glancing around, Rachel couldn't help feel a little upset as the other kids all turned to people near them to arrange partners while completely ignoring her. She knew they generally considered her difficult to work with, but that combined with them still being irritated about Friday meant no one wanted to partner with her. Rachel looked to the back row thinking she'd ask Brittany only to see the blond dancer already talking animatedly with Quinn.

Santana could see Rachel's disappointment as she looked around and, sighing to herself, got up to go and claim Quinns recently vacated seat beside the diva.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but, would you like to be my partner?"

Rachel eyes widened in surprise at the offer - sure she and Santana had become friends but they rarely spent time together without either Quinn or Brittany there.

"Okay." Rachel agreed.

"Cool. We can go over to my place after glee to practice if you want?"

"Sure," Rachel agreed again.

"San, I'm going to go to Quinn's for an hour or so to work on our song." Brittany explained, as she came to stand next to her girlfriend and Santana could just tell she was pleased Santana had decided to partner with Rachel "I'll come over to your place afterwards?"

"Sure babe." Santana agreed.

Mr Schuster dismissed them a few minutes later and they all headed out to their cars, Rachel following behind Santana back to her place.

Pulling into the garage Santana couldn't help regret her decision in inviting Rachel around when she noticed her mothers car parked in the normally empty bay. Getting out the car she noticed Rachel already having parked and waiting by the door for her.

"My mother's home." Santana murmured as she fished out her house keys from her bag.

"Is that a bad thing?" Rachel had picked up on Santana's irritated tone, realising for the first time that she actually knew very little about Santana's family and had only been to Santana's house when it was empty.

Santana didn't actually bother to reply as she unlocked the front door and led the way into the house. Taking her cue from Santana's behaviour, Rachel remained silent while Santana tried to sneak to the stairs only to come to a stop as a woman appeared at the top of them. She was tall and Rachel could see where her daughter got her looks from.

"Santana?" Santana's mother sounded surprised as she descended the stairs. "What are you doing home so early?"

"It's four o'clock." Santana replied tartly, consenting to give her mother a peck on the cheek.

"Yes, well I suppose it is. How was your day?"

"Fine, Mami."

"Fine Mami, Fine Mami." Santana's mother mocked irritably "Well fine then, you can't complain I don't know what's going on with you if every time I ask that's the reply I get." Santana bit back a retort, knowing it would do no good to goad her mother. "And who is this, or do I not get to know that either?"

"Rachel, she's my partner for a glee assignment. Rachel, this is my mother, Maria _Lopez_." Maria's eyes flashed momentarily to Santana's at her emphasis on their surname before going back to the shorter girl before her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Lopez." Rachel said in a charmingly polite voice that made Santana want to break something. "Isn't Maria also Santana's middle name?"

"Indeed it is." Maria confirmed, giving Santana a hard look "So she would remember who she came from."

Santana didn't resist rolling her eyes at that. "We have to get to work on our assignment, come on Rachel."

Quickly pulling Rachel past her mother, Santana led the way up to her room without another word, making sure once they were in the room to shut her door firmly behind them.

It was easily apparent that Santana was pissed as she flung her bag into one corner, and Rachel, not knowing how to help, went to perch on the end of the bed quietly.

"Fuck her." Santana exclaimed suddenly, causing Rachel to jump "She thinks she's entitled to know what's going on in my life while she's trying to hide half of hers."

"She was only asking about your day." Rachel pointed out quietly.

"And why should I give her a truthful answer when she wouldn't give me the same in return?" Santana replied, not willing to be reasoned with at that moment and too riled to hold in her temper. "She likes to pretend that it's by my choice that she knows next to nothing of my life, but it's also her choice not to be around. Do you know I see my mother maybe once a week, if that?"

Rachel shook her head, no.

"Half the nights she's out, and the one's she is here for she comes in late and then doesn't wake up until after I've left for the day. And then I come home to this..." Santana paused as she seemed to suddenly realise just how much she was revealing about herself. "Well fuck it. Lets just work on the song, I'm sure you already have plenty of idea's."

Taking the hint, Rachel immediately launched into a monologue discussing which songs would be suited to both their vocal ranges.

They were interrupted a while later when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Santana?" Maria poked her head in, cutting both girls off mid-song. "Goodness, you two are going to give me a headache will all that singing. You have a visitor." Maria's disapproval was apparent as she stepped aside to admit Brittany.

Santana was about to reclose her door when her mother put her hand on the door to stop her. "I think it would be more appropriate if you kept the door open." She suggested quietly to her daughter.

"The same could be said for you." Santana replied, quiet enough to give the show of privacy, although both Brittany and Rachel could hear what was being said.

"You might learn a little more respect. I am still your mother."

"Respect?" Santana spat the word back challengingly. Santana's mother pursed her lips and, glanced past Santana to her friends before replying.

"We'll discuss this later"

Santana just scoffed and moved to shut the door again, and this time Maria made no move to stop her. Turning back around to the room, Santana leant against the door. Brittany stepped forward to wrap her arms around Santana who tiredly leant her head on the blonds shoulder.

"Where does she get off trying to be all parental?"

"San, you don't have to agree with all her choices but she is your mother." Brittany replied gently.

"Oh, I know. She was telling Rachel all about how she gave me her name, earlier." Brittany turned to glance over her shoulder at Rachel who was watching them uncomfortably from the bed, both burning with curiosity about all they were obviously leaving unsaid and worrying she was intruding. "Can we just not talk about her right now?"

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Brittany suggested and Santana nodded gratefully as they broke apart.

"I suppose I should get going." Rachel mumbled, only to be surprised when Santana stopped her.

"Stay, if you want."

Rachel self consciously settled back into her seat, leaning against the head board while Santana joined her, sitting a few inches apart. Brittany quickly set up the DVD player and moved to cuddle against Santana's other side.

They stayed that way for the duration of the movie, Santana slowly relaxing as she got comfortable leaning against Brittany while Rachel sat a few inches away, wishing she could cuddle with the others.

0-0-0-0

The credits were just beginning to roll when Maria entered the room without knocking.

"It's late and I'm sure your friends have to get home." Maria announced, disapproval written clearly on her face as she took in the way Brittany and Santana were sitting. Brittany quickly retracted her arms from Santana's waist and shifted to put some space between them.

Santana scowled but when Brittany glanced to her questioningly she nodded for them to leave, knowing the conversation to come would not be pleasant.

Brittany silently rose and collected her bag, Rachel following her lead.

"It was nice to see you again Mrs Lopez." Brittany offered demurely and Mrs Lopez nodded in acknowledgement, her eyes not leaving her daughters.

Sighing as the door closed and she was left alone with her mother, Santana sat up into a more comfortable position.

"So, what do you want to say?"

000-00-00-00-00-00-000

The Pierces weren't exactly surprised when Santana arrived at their house an hour later, Brittany having already warned them it was a possibility when she got home. Santana was immediately enveloped into a familiar hug when Mrs Pierce opened the door.

"Bad day huh?" she asked without releasing the girl who she viewed as practically a third daughter.

Santana shrugged, pushing back all the emotions that threatened to overflow and taking small comfort from the lack of judgment in Mrs Pierces voice. She knew that the woman wasn't aware of what exactly the situation was, but Mrs Pierce had always there to provide a hug and kind word when it was most needed. Still, Mrs Pierce wasn't who she needed desperately to see.

Spotting the tall blond dancer waiting for her by the stairs as she was ushered into the house Santana practically fled into the safety of Brittany's arms, burying her face in the crook of her neck and inhaling the scent that was completely Brittany.

It was a sign of how upset Santana really was that she didn't even notice that they were not alone in the entrance way; because though she was close to the Pierces and knew they were not the type to disapprove of PDA's, Santana still preferred to keep such scenes private.

As Santana calmed slightly in Brittany's arms, Brittany glanced over her shoulder to her parents and a silent understanding flowed between them before Brittany began to coax Santana into coming with her upstairs to her bedroom.

"Oh fan-fucking-tastic."Santana exclaimed as they entered the room to find Quinn and Rachel sitting comfortably on Brittany's bed, both stopping mid conversation at the new arrival. For an actress, Santana couldn't help noting mentally, Rachel was not very good at hiding her surprise when she saw the obvious state Santana was in. Santana turned immediately to leave again, not in the mood for company when all she really wanted to do is curl up with Brittany and forget what had transpired the last few hours, but her exit was blocked by Brittany who had entered the room behind her and shut the door, leaning against it for good measure. Brittany knew better than to let Santana leave in the state she was in, knowing that with Quinn, Rachel and her here the only other place Santana would go was to Puck or some other guy in an attempt to forget, and Santana would only regret that later. Also, on a more selfish note, Brittany did not want to deal with the pain it would cause her if Santana were to sleep with someone else now when while they had never been officially exclusive, after they had mutually stopped fucking around with random people it had been an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't start again.

Santana eyed Brittany carefully, but could tell Brittany wasn't going to budge and if she insisted on going there would be fall out, fall out that Santana was in no state to deal with alongside everything else.

Santana fought off tears valiantly for a few more moments, trying to avoid Brittany's understanding and compassionate gaze but was finally unable to resist any more and practically collapsed into Brittany's arms. Brittany only held her tighter and murmured soft declarations of love as she felt the wetness on her shoulder.

"It's just not fair." Santana mumbled through tears.

"I know, honey, I know."

Rachel and Quinn watched in silence as Santana practically broke down in Brittany's arms, neither knowing what was the cause of this sudden change in Santana, nor what they could do to help and both wondering if they should leave and give the girls their privacy but Brittany blocking the door made it impossible.

After a couple of minutes Brittany gently coaxed Santana towards the bed, shaking her head at the others as they made to get up, indicating that they should stay put.

Santana tried to speak as they sat on the edge of the bed but Brittany shushed her. "Lets just take a nap and relax, you can tell me about it later." Brittany murmured, not wanting Santana to get more upset by talking about things before she had completely calmed down. Santana nodded her consent to the plan without protest.

"Rachel, can you go into the bathroom, take the white wash cloth that's by the sink, dampen it and bring it here?" Brittany requested softly and Rachel was only too glad to have something to do. "Quinn, grab me some tracksuit pants?" Brittany nodded towards a chest of draws, meanwhile unclasping Santana's bra through her clothes and helping her slide the item out from under her top.

"I can do it B," Santana muttered with a watery chuckle as Brittany sunk to her knees next to her and began unbuttoning her pants.

"I know." Brittany replied, continuing on with her task, both feeling completely comfortable with Quinns presence since they had changed in front of her many times over the course of their friendship, Santana's top was one of those extra long ones so it covered everything anyway.

That still did not stop Quinn from flushing slightly because there was something intimate about watching Brittany undress Santana in this way.

Rachel returned with the washcloth just as Brittany pulled off Santana's jeans, Santana glanced at her as she entered but without much recognition, her head full with other thoughts. Rachel remained by the door until Brittany had helped Santana into the slacks Quinn had handed her and risen off the floor.

Stepping forward, Rachel surprised even herself when rather than offering the cloth to Santana she knelt before the latina and held it up, waiting for permission and after a tense second Santana softened slightly and Rachel gratefully began to wipe away the tear tracks on Santana's cheeks.

"I'm not going to bite her you know." Santana added tiredly to both of the others when she noticed them watching her cautiously.

Brittany smiled ruefully at being caught out, surprised Santana had allowed Rachel this liberty. Rachel finished her task and stood up again. Flicking off all but the bedside light, and climbing onto the bed, Brittany, who was already in a comfortable tracksuit since she had been lazing about her house before Santana arrived, beckoned Santana to her and her girlfriend gratefully moved to her side.

Once they were settled Brittany sent Quinn and Rachel a look that clearly asked what they were waiting for and after a momentary hesitance Rachel went to lay beside Santana and Quinn, the least comfortable with shows of physical affection, self consciously crawled on beside Brittany, glad the other blond was curled into Santana and not facing her.

Santana was already half asleep as she felt the bed dip behind her but her brain wasn't working fast enough to work out why this was unusual, nor could she find the effort to say anything. Brittany, Rachel and Quinn, who were on the other hand wide awake all just lay in silence.

"You're thinking rather loudly Quinn" Brittany murmured in a hushed tone after a few moments, exchanging an amused smile with Rachel over Santana's head. Quinn let out a quiet sigh; she couldn't help it, her brain was shouting at her that she shouldn't be there, that she shouldn't be comfortable with this and Brittany and Santana no doubt want their privacy, though she couldn't quite bring herself to get up. Careful not to jostle Santana too much, Brittany reached back to take Quinns hand, drawing it forward to drape over her waist, a silent reassurance. Quinn felt her mind quieted somewhat.

Brittany and Santana had this habit of never letting anyone get too close, or at least that was how it seemed to Rachel and while open about some things there were other, deeper aspects of their relationship that they weren't willing to show more than the barest hints of to others. She supposed that it was natural for couples, especially ones with as much history as Brittany and Santana, to have some things they kept to themselves, but she couldn't help want to know what those private things were, and, a small, unacknowledged part of her longed to be a part of it. So Rachel was secretly glad that Brittany, and by default Santana, had allowed her to stay and get to see this vulnerable side of Santana that was normally hidden behind numerous walls. She couldn't help feel special to be a part of something that they normally kept hidden from everyone but each other and whilst she hoped this trend would only continue in future, right then she just wanted to focus on the present.

Brittany's thoughts for the most part were more concerned with Santana than anything else at that moment, knowing Santana's mother's words could get to her more than anyone elses could. After the first couple of minutes she practically forgot the others were there, completely comfortable in their presence as she considered the best way to help her girlfriend.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Review and let me know!


	9. Skeletons in the Closet Part B

**Chapter Title: **Skeletons in the Closet – Part 2 of 2

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1400

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **PG-13

**WARNINGS: **None

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **A night-time discussion

**A/N:** I posted this on LJ via my cell a week or so ago but have only managed to get my compter internet acess restored today which is why it was so delayed posting here. If you don't want to miss updates like that then I suggest either following my LJ or twitter account (same user name & the link's on my profile). Due to internet issues I am also having problems replying to comments and reviews. If I haven't responded to yours I appologise, I have read them all and should be getting back into the habit of replying from now on :)

0-0-0-0-0-0

Santana awoke to a darkened room, squashed between two bodies and the feeling of someone tracing curling patterns on her exposed bicep. The fingers soon stopped their movement as Santana carefully twisted around and looked over to see Rachel watching her cautiously, her features half hidden in the dark.

"Hey." Rachel greeted softly, not wanting to wake the others who were still asleep on Santana's other side.

"Hi,"

"How are you feeling?"

"Ok – still tired." Santana responded with a rueful smile

"Was it your mom?" Rachel asked, referring to the cause of Santana's previous state.

"Yeah, " Santana said with a sigh, turning so she was lying on her back staring at the ceiling, her head pillowed on the arm closest to Brittany. Rachel bit her lip, waiting to see if Santana would say more. After a moment Rachel cautiously moved her hand that had been resting between them to hesitantly resume lightly caressing Santana's arm, silence falling between them.

"She doesn't approve of my life." Santana muttered bitterly, the night time quiet giving her the security to reveal things she never ordinarily would. Rachel's fingers stilling momentarily before resuming their drawing the only sign she had heard. "My love life, my friends, my relationship with the rest of my family, pretty much the only thing is does approve of is the one part of my life I don't. And then after all that very vocal disapproval, she still expects me to remain quiet while she fucks practically every man she comes into contact with – or every man except the one she's married to. She barely even bothers to hide it any more. What do you think she was doing when we got there this afternoon?"

Rachel didn't respond, not even knowing how to. She had been curious about Santana's break down but now just felt out of her depth as to how to deal with this admission and just wished Brittany was awake right then. Thankfully though, Santana didn't seem to require a response, and after a moment she kept talking.

"After you left she actually had the audacity to try and ground me. She's not even there most of the time, how the hell does she expect to enforce that?"

"What did she ground you for?"

"Oh I don't know, attitude, dating Brittany, getting an A- in English, take your pick, it's a pretty long list. But if she honestly expects me to respect her enough to actually obey her after everything... she hasn't been a mother to me in a long time." The quiet, resigned admittance made Rachel want to just gather Santana in her arms and offer some sort of comfort for the hurt Santana was barely trying to hide, but before she could Santana rolled over again so her back to the small her girl, effectively ending the conversation. A moment later Brittany, who was spooning Quinn, reached back for Santana's hand, giving it a squeeze before they all fell back asleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rachel was woken up the next morning by the shifting mattress as Brittany tried to carefully slip out from between Santana and Quinn without waking them.

"Morning." Brittany mouthed when she noticed Rachel was awake, nodding to the door to indicate that they should go out of the room to avoid waking the others. Indicating her agreement, Rachel also climbed out of the bed, silently following Brittany onto the landing.

"My family's probably still asleep." Brittany muttered as she led the way down to the kitchen.

Once there Brittany busied herself setting the kettle to boil. "Okay, so coffee, tea or juice?"

"Juice." Rachel chose, taking a seat on one of the kitchen stools and fiddling nervously with her fingers.

"You look like you're sitting on egg shells." Brittany joked as she handed over the juice. Rachel smiled ruefully. She couldn't explain it but she just felt uncomfortable, as though she had walked in on Brittany naked or something.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not something to apologise for." Brittany admonished lightly, taking a seat next to her. "But why are you so uncomfortable?"

As though to tease her further and only make her more uncomfortable in the most delicious way, Brittany's clear, pointed gaze brought a blush to Rachels cheeks. It was a strange feeling and one Rachel was not used to the blond evoking it.

Rachel was saved from stuttering through a response when they were interrupted by Brittany's sister Stacy bounding into the room.

"Good Morning!" she greeted them both brightly.

"Morning Stace, what do you want for breakfast?" Brittany enquired, rising with a smug smirk that told Rachel she was in no way unaware of the effect she had just had.

"Cereal." Stacy answered her sister .

"Rach, what about you, we have cereal, toast, fruit?"

"Cereal's fine with me too." Rachel responded. A moment later Brittany handed Stacy a large soup mug of cereal before placing a similar one in front of Rachel and she eyed it curiously, wandering why she was even surprised that the Pierces served cereal in mugs instead of bowls.

"So how's Santana?" Stacy asked between mouthfuls, leaning against the doorframe

"She's fine. She was just upset over an argument with her mom."

"Oh, okay. So am I catching a lift with you this morning or should I organise with Marcie?"

"It's up to you. Both Rachel and San have their cars here so I'm sure one of us can give you a ride if you want."

"Alright, I'll come with one of you then. I'm gonna go get ready." Brittany nodded and Stacy offered Rachel a smile before departing.

"Do you want to go home to change or just borrow something of mine?" Brittany asked a moment later.

"I'll go home, but lets wake the others first."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana awoke with the morning sun streaming onto the bed feeling vulnerable and exposed. The comfortable anonymity of the dark was gone but all that she had admitted to Rachel still swirled about her head.

Groaning, she glanced over to Brittany's bedside clock to see that she thankfully she wasn't late, but she didn't have much time to lay about delaying either. The bed beside her was empty and sitting up she gratefully reached for the bottle of water beside the clock and took a few sips, dehydrated from all her crying the previous night.

Stumbling out the bed she began carding her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it somewhat when the door to the room opened.

"I was just coming to wake you." Brittany greeted, walking over to give her lips a quick peck. "How are you doing?"

"Ugh, fine," Torn between being pleased to see her girlfriend and irritated with the situation she had been put in "although for future reference I don't appreciate being manipulated " Brittany had the decency to blush guiltily. She had been hoping Santana wouldn't realise what she was doing by having Rachel and Quinn stay over with them.

"I'm sorry." Brittany murmured. She had known that Santana was always more open with people after getting upset and had been hoping that Santana would share some of what had happened with the others. Santana reached forward to take her hands, their fingers playfully fiddling together, showing there were no hard feelings. Santana didn't mind that she had shared so much of herself with Rachel, just the situation that led to it.

"I said I'd consider going out with Rachel and Quinn, but there are some things I'm not ready to reveal to them yet and I don't want to be pushed into having them around at times when I just want it to be us."

"Fair enough." Brittany agreed, and they exchanged another quick kiss just as Rachel and Quinn reinterred the room.

"Rach and I are going to head out so we can stop past our places before school." Quinn announced after they all greeted each other good morning, Rachel purposely avoiding Santana's eye and feeling even more out of sorts around her than Brittany.

"Okay sure thing." Santana agreed with a smile, realising that she would have to be the one to make the first move and put Rachel at ease around her again "We'll see you guys at school."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**AN2: **Short and sweet but I didn't want to add any more because the rest really fits into a chapter of it's own. So, what did you think? Questions? Suggestions? Leave me a comment and let me know :)


	10. A Birthday Celebration

**Chapter Title: **Birthday Celebrations (Part A)

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1200

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Quinn/Rachel, Brittany/Santana, Faberrittana friendship (hints at more)

**Rating: **PG-13

**WARNINGS: **None

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **It's Quinns birthday and the girls have a quiet pre-party party.

**A/N: **Short, and I have no excuse other to a hectic load of coursework at the moment. I just wanted to get something short up in the mean time (I'm curious if there's anyone out there who thinks I should rather stop splitting chapters into parts and delay posting until the whole thing is written?) Otherwise not much else to say except I hope you enjoy and please comment when you're done :)

0-0-0-0-0

It was Quinns birthday, and though she was throwing a party at her house that evening Rachel, Britttany and Santana had decided to throw her a surprise mini pre-party party at Rachels house first, so they could give her their gifts and relax without all the interruptions and distractions that would occur at the evening party.

This is what led to Santana and Rachel in the Berry's kitchen with dishes and ingredients scattered everywhere as they attempted to make some cupcakes for them.

"Okay, so if you could just get the flour I think we're ready to start." Santana said as she glanced over the recipe again.

She heard Rachel moving around for a second before a loud shriek interrupted her weighing of the butter. Spinning around she was met by the sight of a flour covered diva. Unable to help herself, Santana burst into laughter, ignoring Rachels irritated explanation of how the flour had been on the top shelf and she'd lost her grip on it while taking it down.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Rachel muttered, though a smile was also tugging at her lips, and almost absentmindedly flicked some of the spilt flour at Santana as the latina tried to help her clean it up.

"I know you did not just get flour on my pants!" Santana exclaimed in mock outrage at the now white smudge on her black pants. Reaching into the almost empty flour bag, Santana picked up a handful and held it up menacingly.

"Now come on Santana," Rachel protested, quickly backing away as Santana followed, boxing her into a corner against the counters. Stepping right into the smaller girls personal space she held the flour aloft threateningly before realising just how close she was standing to the other girl. Deciding to push her luck she leant even further over so Rachel was arching back slightly over the counter and their faces were inches apart, Rachel breath tickling her skin.

Sensing the change in mood, Rachel also grew slightly more serious as the tension in the air increased. Biting her lip, Santana was gratified that Rachel had yet to stop her and with their lips only a promising inch apart she stopped, pausing teasingly before letting out a smile and stepping back leaving a flustered and oddly disappointed Rachel to watch her ass sway as she sashayed across the room to where she knew the Berry's kept a broom.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When the cupcakes were done and the kitchen cleaned the girls headed downstairs to the den where the 'mini pre-party party' was to be held..

Brittany, who had arrived a few minutes earlier was already down there hanging a couple of streamers and Rachel entered to see her reaching up to pin the end of a Happy Birthday banner onto the far wall, her short skirt lifting almost to high enough to see the underside of her ass. Rachel didn't even realise she was ogling until Santana stepped infront of her with a knowing smirk, blocking the view.

Red faced at being caught Rachel moved to go put the cupcakes down onto the counter.

Quinn arrived soon after believing she had been invited over to help Rachel get ready for her actual birthday party that she was having that evening.

"We figured we'd have a mini pre-party party with just the four of us first so we can do the whole gift thing before everyone else starts vying for your attention tonight." Brittany explained a suitably surprised Quinn, ushering her into the room A short time later the four of them were sitting in a circle on the floor with the plate of cupcakes in the middle talking and chatting.

"Okay, so presents!" Brittany prompted excitedly during a lull in conversation.

"First, what did your mom give you?" Santana asked jokingly; it being a well known fact that Quinns mother tended to give the worst gifts out.

"A stationary set."

"Seriously?" Santana chuckled, Brittany and Rachel joining in. "Well I guess it could have been worse. I can promise ours will be better though. Here."

Handing over a small oblong box Quinn eyed it suspiciously, not putting it past Santana to play some sort of joke on her. Opening it her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the dainty silver necklace it contained. It was of simple design, just two thin twisting chains that were joined at the clasp, but it was exactly the sort of thing Quinn would wear.

"Wow, thanks S." Quinn thanked her with a soft smile as she took it out, handing it to her before turning and lifting her hair so Santana could put it on for her.

"Well it's a good thing you liked it." Brittany added as she handed over her present from where she was sitting on Quinns right, leaning over to give Quinn a friendly Birthday kiss on the cheek which actually landed up landing on the corner of her mouth, sending almost an electric jolt through both girls. Quinn immediately glanced at Rachel to check her reaction and was relieved to find Rachel didn't appear upset.

"Hot." Santana added, chucking at Quinns concerned expression and Quinn immediately gave her an annoyed shove, pushing her halfway over.

"Wanna see hot?" Brittany picked up on Santana's comment, giving her a wink before moving as though to straddle Quinns lap.

"Brittany!" Quinn shrieked in surprise, pushing the blond off her before she got fully situated. Brittany too fell back, laughing and even Rachel chuckled along at their jesting

"Don't worry," Brittany added to Rachel, teasingly trailing her fingers down the diva's arm innocently, as though merely to get her attention "I wouldn't do anything to her without your permission."

"Can we please just get back to the presents!" Quinn interrupted, flustered and hot, before Rachel could reply, hoping to redirect everyone to safer topics.

"Alright, hold your horses birthday girl." Santana replied, picking up Brittanys gift which Brittany had dropped in the process of messing with Quinn and handing it over.

The gift turned out to be a bracelet that matched the necklace Santana had given her.

"I seem not to be keeping in theme with the others." Rachel commented once the bracelet was fastened around Quinns wrist. The parcel she handed over was also rather small and unwrapping it Quinn found herself holding a bejewelled memo box

"You bedazzled it?" Santana asked incredulously as Quinn ran her fingers over the top, well aware of her girlfriends penchant to add rhinestones to any available surface.

"I'll have you know there is nothing wrong with bedazzling something" Rachel defended, adding to Quinn that she should open it. Inside, where normally there would be blank sheets of paper to write on were a stack of cards each with a neatly written out phase on them and decorated with stickers and the occasional hand drawn illustration. Flicking through them Quinn noticed how whilst some were inspirational quotes others were specifically tailored to Quinn herself, including anecdotes of some fond memories Rachel has of the two of them, and reasons Rachel feels honoured to have Quinn as a girlfriend. "I was inspired by those page-a-day inspiration blocks. There are 365 of them, one for each day of the next year." Rachel explained to a stunned Quinn, who was wondering just how long Rachel had been working on this, with every card clearly being hand done. Looking up from the cards with watery eyes, Quinn put the box to one side and got onto her knees to lean over the now empty plate between them and give Rachel a searing kiss.

"I can't believe you did this for me." Quinn murmured as she sat back again, feeling emotional.

"You just had to upstage us, didn't you?" Santana broke the moment, though her gentle smile showed she was only joking.

"Well it's six o'clock already so we had better be going if we're to be ready for the party later." Brittany excused herself and Santana, knowing the couple would want some time alone after such a heartfelt gift.

"Okay, sure. We'll see you guys later." Rachel confirmed, standing up and sighing as she felt Quinns arms slip around her from behind, her girlfriends lips trailing gentle patterns along her shoulder and neck as the front door closed above them.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **There we go a simple little chapter. I was inspired to post something when I saw that after months of delays klimere actually updated Behave! (and if you haven't read it you really should!). I am hoping to post a Brittany/Santana one shot based in this verse soon because I feel like I haven't written a proper DD chapter in a while so any requests or suggestions?

As always I would love to know what you thought, even if the update was short. Do you like the way things are progressing towards becoming intimate between all four girls? Please leave a review!


	11. A Birthday Celebration  Part B

**Chapter Title: **A Birthday Celebration (Part B)

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **1700

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing:** Brittany/Santana, Quinn/Rachel

**Rating: **PG-13

**WARNINGS:** None

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **It's Quinns birthday party!

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews and feedback. Most of you said you didn't mind my splitting chapters up so I'm going to keep doing that. This 'chapter' will have at least one more part, maybe two. Another special shout out to Kfordy for being a great sounding board! Enjoy and please comment when you're done!

-0-0-0-0-

It was later that same evening and Quinns house was full of people. Santana was standing by the kitchen doorway watching the way Rachel was standing talking to Ross across the room, her irritation mounting by the second. She was well aware as to why Rachel was practically flirting with the guy – before the party Quinn had made some comment that had inadvertently offended the petite diva and said singer had been trying to get back at Quinn ever since, her attempts getting more and more blatant the more she drank. Quinn had decided to ignore Rachels behaviour after her third apology was rejected and she had asked Santana and Brittany to do the same. Santana had agreed, not realising this would mean watching the guy practically trying to feel her up not ten feet away.

Santana's cup crinckled as her grip tightened and she tried to stop herself from saying anything – it wasn't her relationship after all and Quinn had asked them to leave it alone, but Quinn also wasn't there watching the scene in front of her.

As Santana watched Ross lean down over the diminutive diva and her head tilted slightly up with their lips on a collision course for each other all her resolve not to say anything dissipated. Without stopping to think, Santana pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and strode over to the pair.

"You're well aware of who her girlfriend is Ross." Santana hissed, insinuating herself between them as they broke apart – she had waited a second too long to actually stop the kiss. Ignoring Ross's stuttered protests she grabbed Rachels wrist and practically dragged the diva into the nearby empty guest room.

-0-0-0-0-

"Would you like to tell me what the fuck you're thinking?" Santana demanded, locking the door behind her and turning to glare at the girl in front of her.

"He surprised me." Rachel defended, words slightly slurred.

"Bullshit. You've been flirting with him for half the night! What did you think he was going to do?"

"I wasn't flirting with him, we were talking. There's a difference."

"One you clearly don't know."

"He kissed me," Rachel retorted, in her inebreiated state she couldn't seem to quite grasp why Santana seemed so personally affronted. "And besides, I don't see what your problem is with all of this, it's not like I'm dating you!"

"If I had my way you would be." Santana retorted without thought. Both girls eyes when wide as they realised what Santana had said.

"What do you...?"

"Nothing...I don't know where that came from." Santana interrupted quickly, panicked.

"Santana, what do you mean you want to date me?" Rachel asked again.

"I..."

"Santana? Rachel?" Quinns voice interrupted them.

"Forget I said anything. I'm drunk." Santana replied hastily, heading over to the door.

"I'm drunk, at the most you're slightly tipsy" Rachel corrected "and I want to know what you meant."

"Well we all want things we're not going to get." Santana snapped as she moved to unlock the door.

"I'm not going to let this go." Rachel warned hastily as the door opened to emit two very confused blonds.

-0-0-0-0-

Quinn wandered into hallway to find a crowd forming outside the guest room. "What's going on?" she asked, still relatively sober since she was trying to be a good host.

"Your bitch friend just dragged your girlfriend into the room." Adrienne replied, grinning giddily, inebriated enough to not realise the long term implications of what he was saying. Exchanging a glance with Brittany, who was behind her, Quinn began to elbow her way through the group. Santana and Rachels friendship was volatile at the best of times – the two of them locked in a room together couldn't end well.

Getting to the door, she rapped on it loudly. "Santana? Rachel?" she called, hearing muffled voices coming from inside.

"What on earth's going on?" Quinn asked in bewilderment as Brittany shut the door behind them.

Santana gave Rachel a warning look before answering. "I just saw your girlfriend getting it on with Ross."

"What?" Quinn demanded, turning to Rachel.

"Please, we were hardly 'getting it on'" Rachel replied with a dramatic eye roll, making air quotes with her hands. "We were both drunk and he got the wrong idea so he kissed me."

"He only got the wrong idea because you led him on...Oww!" Brittany, who had moved to stand next to Santana gave her arm a pinch – warning her to let Rachel tell Quinn on her own.

"I'm sorry, what?" Quinn repeated again.

"He kissed me, but it's no big deal." Santana let out a disbelieving sound but didn't comment.

"It certainly is a big deal, but we can wait until you're sober to discuss it. You can just stay in here for the night and sleep off whatever it is you drank and we'll talk in the morning," Quinn directed as a crash echoed from the other room, making her cringe as she wondered which of her mothers ornaments had been broken. She was not in the right headspace to deal with Rachel right then.

"Baby, it really was no big deal." Quinn raised an eyebrow at the endearment Rachel never used for her before shaking it off.

"We'll discuss it tomorrow." Turning to the other two in the room Quinn motioned them out, following a second later.

As they went back through the house the trio were accosted by some of the other party goers wanting to know what had happened and all chances of a private conversation at that moment went out of the window

-0-0-0-0-0-

Brittany let out a low moan as Santana roughly pushed her against the bathroom door, hastily reaching behind her to lock it as Santana began teasing the skin on her neck in a way that would no doubt leave a mark. There was something off though in the way Santana was kissing her, a desperation that told Brittany Santana was trying to convince herself of something. The fact that they hadn't discussed what happened with Rachel yet also gave Brittany a fair idea as to what it was about.

"I want to know what you said to Rachel." Brittany panted as she tried to catch her breath enough to put pause to Santana's attack.

Santana let out a frustrated groan that Brittany wanted to mimic because she too didn't really want to stop what they were doing, but she also knew that they needed to talk about whatever was bothering Santana first.

"Nothing." Santana mumbled against the blonds skin. Brittany spun them around so that Santana was now` the one pressed to the door.

"Really?" She asked, grinding their hips together pointedly before stopping completely. "Because I'm fairly certain the mark on my neck tells me otherwise." Santana generally only marked Brittany in a visible place if she was feeling insecure about something.

"Can we just not talk about it right now?" Santana requested, trying to flip them again, not wanting to be topped right then.

"No." Brittany pulled back irritably "whatever it is is bothering you. Why were you so upset about Rachel kissing Ross?"

"Quinn's one of my best friends and I don't want to see her hurt because Rachel did something stupid when she was drunk."

Brittany scoffed and pulled away completely, taking a couple of steps back. "Q's my friend too, and that is not what you were trying to prove to yourself a moment ago." she snapped, irritation getting the better of her. She really wasn't in the mood to try coax Santana's thoughts and feelings out of her that night, especially when Santana wasn't going to at least try and meet her half way.

"Well you're the one who always thinks she knows what everyone's thinking and feeling, you tell me what I'm trying to convince myself of." Santana snapped back. She already had enough questions about her unexplainable reaction to Rachels behaviour tonight without Brittany raising more while trying to talk to her about them.

Brittany gave Santana a hard look which Santana met and then huffing irritably she stormed out of the room. Brittany gave her a moments head start reluctantly returning to the party herself.

-0-0-0-0-

Brittany and Santana had both arranged to stay over at Quinns house that night. The party was already winding down when Brittany and Santana were in the bathroom and just over an hour later the house was empty other too the three girls who were sleeping there.

Santana had disappeared after their fight, as Brittany had expected her to do, but she wasn't worried though because Santana had still had enough presence of mind to send her a couple of texts confirming she was okay.

Brittany reluctantly settled down to sleep in an otherwise empty bed, and was just dozing off when she felt a dip in the mattress as a familiar scent permeated the air.

Santana slipped sheepishly into bed beside her girlfriend. She regretted blocking Brittany out earlier but she had needed the time to sort out things in her own head first, before being asked to share, even if it was with Brittany.

She had winded up sitting at an all night diner just considering her life and her options.

Brittany shifted as Santana manoeuvred to spoon her from behind, placing her arm atop the one that was lying comfortably over her waist and meshing their fingers together.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Santana murmured softly into the quiet night air, sensing Brittany was awake. Brittany snuggled deeper against her and gave her hand a squeeze, silently acknowledging her words.

"i think I have deeper feelings for Rachel than I realised."

"I know." Brittany murmured softly snuggling down against Santana's body

**-0-0-0-0**

**AN2: **So thoughts, comments, suggestions? Let me know you're out there!


	12. A Birthday Celebration Part C

**Chapter Title:** A Birthday Party - Part C (Final Part)

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 2700

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Quinn/Rachel, Mentions Rachel/Santana

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Contains consensual disciplinary spanking. 

**Disclaimer: Not **mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Rachel faces the consequences of her indiscretions and she and Santana talk about what happened at the party.

**A/N:** I feel like now is a good time to just confirm that Faberrittana is still end game and it will happen, but this story is a marathon and not a sprint, we are getting there, but there's still lots to go through first. To the one reviewer who asked me to try stay away from the Faberrittana storyline, I apologise but the fic is called 'The Road to Faberrittana' for a reason.

Otherwise here you go...review when you're done ;)

-0-0-0-

Santana woke up to an empty space beside her when she knew there had been a warm body there when she fell asleep.

Rolling over onto her back and stretching out she lifted her head slightly to find Brittany perched on the windowsill watching her with her arms crossed.

"Morning." Santana greeted through a yawn and Brittany gave her a half smile as she returned the greeting.

"Just give me like ten minutes to wake up properly first." Santana requested, catching on to the tone of Brittanys salutation. Brittany wanted to talk, and Brittany's favourite time to fo that was first thing in the morning, Santana was the opposite, hating to even take the effort to say more than a couple of words before she was fully awake.

Brittany gave a small nod in agreement and stayed by the window, her fingers fiddling impatiently. Santana let her head drop back onto the pillow and just lay there for a minute, trying to convince herself to wake up and focus. After a few moments she reluctantly sat up and propped her pillow against the headboard to lean against and sat back.

"Okay." Santana agreed when she was ready.

Brittany moved to sit on the bed in front of Santana and reached out to join their hands together, reluctant to ask what she wanted to. Santana became concerned

"I know I'm being stupid and insecure and please don't judge me for this, but I need to hear you say it in your own words. How do you feel about me?"

Santana was taken aback; it wasn't like Brittany to be insecure about their relationship – it was always Santana who needed the reassurances.

"B, I love you. You're my best friend, my lover and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. You know me better than anyone in this whole world, you have to know that." Not one for sappy speeches Santana could feel a self conscious blush rising to her cheeks.

"I do," Brittany assured her, relaxing at Santana's words, "I just needed to hear you say it."

"B, this thing with Rachel, we can just forget it ever happened," Santana suggested, because no matter what she felt for the smaller girl, Brittany was her first priority.

"No we can't." Brittany said with a rueful smile, "Feelings won't just go away by ignoring them. But it's okay, I don't mind you exploring them. I know it's possible to like, or even love more than one person at a time, and I'm not going to be selfish enough to try keep you all to myself."

"I've done it to you." Santana pointed out with shame, bringing up past hurts.

"Yes, and we both learnt from that experience. I'll be able to handle sharing you, but I can't promise there won't be times when I'll need some reassurance."

"And what about you?" Santana asked referring to Brittany's original idea of her it being the four of them.

"I think for now how about you just focus on your feelings for Rachel, see how things develop and then if an opportunity comes up for me to be involved later we'll talk about it."

"I can't help feeling that this is being unfair to you."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine as long as end of the day I still have you."

"So I can talk to Rachel and if she wants to try being more than friends we can be?" Santana tried not to sound too hopeful but she really did want this opportunity.

"Yes." Brittany confirmed and Santana leant forward to capture her lips in a passionate kiss of gratitude, pushing Brittany onto her back in the process.

'

Rather than progressing further they just lay there in a tangle of limbs, enjoying being with each other as their tongues preformed a well rehearsed dance.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Rachel was awoken that morning she was immediately anxious, remembering what had happened the night before. She could practically feel Quinns piercing glare on her as the blond pulled open the curtains.

"Good morning sunshine!" Quinn greeted her with faux happiness as Rachel rolled over with a groan, trying to escape the light. "Come on, get up, we have things to discuss."

Rachel reluctantly sat up, squinting against the bright light shining in from outside. Thankfully she only had a minor headache, Quinn having brought her some water to drink before she fell asleep the night before.

"Here." Quinn offered, tossing her a box of aspirin and a bottle of water.

"Thanks." Rachel mumbled as she had the medicine

"I'm giving you a thirty minute grace period to get up, have a shower and get dressed while the medicine kicks in before we talk."

"Thanks." Rachel murmured as Quinn walked out.

By the time Quinn returned Rachel was ready and dressed for her day, the aspirin doing wonders for her head and she pretty much felt like herself again, meaning the guilt was already starting to eat away at her.

"I want to start by saying that no matter how irritated you were with me, there is no way that your behaviour last night was in any way acceptable." Quinn said, getting straight to the point. "You may have been annoyed over the comment I made about your dress, but I apologised for it three times, and the fact you were still annoyed with me afterwards was by your choice alone. You don't just get to go flirt with and kiss random people when you're annoyed. Do You agree?"

The corner of Rachels mouth twitching momentarily into a rueful half smile; since they had spoken about it Quinn had been making an effort to remember to check that Rachel agreed with her.

"I do." Rachel replied nervously. "I never should have done that and I swear it didn't mean anything."

"You're sure? Five months from now I'm not going to find out you're sleeping with him or something?" Quinn asked, fighting to keep the insecurities from her voice.

"No. I swear." Rachel assured her "I was just irritated and trying to make you jealous. I was only planning on talking to him though, I never meant for it to progress any further."

Quinn considered Rachel for a moment, deciding to believe her. The girl was too honest for her own good anyway, and Quinn could almost always catch her out in a lie. She gave a curt nod to show her acceptance of Rachels explanation.

"Okay, now I know you don't go to that many parties, but since alcohol seems to have been a contributing factor in your behaviour, at the next two you attend I expect you to remain sober, as in not a sip of even one drink."

"Alright." Rachel agreed, not telling Quinn that she had already pretty much sworn off alcohol after the previous night.

"Shall we move on to the other part of your punishment?" Quinn asked, Rachel knowing to which she was referring. "Come here." Quinn instructed as she took a seat on the end of the bed. When Rachel was close enough Quinn quickly set to work lowering her jeans and panties before guiding Rachel over her lap.

"So..." Quinn prompted, not needing to explain what she wanted.

"I got drunk, flirted with and kissed someone who wasn't you because I was irritated and trying to make you jealous." Rachel muttered the reason for her position.

Quinn immediately started to deliver firm smacks, developing a slow rhythm while she warmed Rachel up. Rachel tried to shimmy and wiggle in her normal, overly dramatic way, which Quinn chose to ignore, simply focussing on the task at hand. While she did Quinn tried to think up what implement she could use – most of the items she had were kept in her room, which was currently occupied with Brittany and Santana, who had stayed in there while she joined Rachel in the guest room, and there was no way she was risking going in there at this time of the morning, knowing there was a very good chance that they would be engaged in some activity she'd rather not know about.

"Rachel, get up for me." Quinn asked once Rachel bottom was a rosy pink colour. Rachel did so hesitantly, not sure what to expect since Quinn didn't normally interrupt a spanking part way through and there was no way she was done yet. "You can pull up your pants, and then I want you to go down to the kitchen and get me the wooden spoon that's in the container next to the stove."

"But what if someone sees me?" Rachel protested weakly, knowing she'd be mortified if she bumped into Brittany or Santana...though that wouldn't be anything new considering some of the things they'd borne witness to.

"Well you weren't exactly concerned about who saw you last night, were you?" Quinn replied nonchalantly.

Sulking as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders Rachel reluctantly headed downstairs, torn between going quickly to avoid seeing anyone or going slowly to delay what awaited her when she got back.

Luckily for Rachel, Brittany and Santana were still sequestered in Quinns room and she returned to her girlfriend with the required item without incident.

Rachel handed over the item nervously, not sure what to expect since they had never used it before. Quinn repeated the same procedure of lowering Rachels pants and panties and helping her back over her lap before examining the spoon properly.

The first swat caught Rachel by surprise and she jumped slightly. The lighter wood of the spoon meant that the result was more stingy than that of the hairbrush and Rachel found she preferred the effect, hoping that she was right in believing the effects wouldn't be as long lasting. After a few moments of trying out different strengths and techniques with the spoon, Quinn settled on a preference and fell into a quick rhythm.

Soon enough Rachel was bucking around wildly while trying to avoid the spoon and Quinn had to pause long enough to secure Rachels legs between her own, before continuing on.

Eventually, Quinn decided Rachel had had enough and stopped, rubbing soothing circles on her back while Rachel calmed down. Helping Rachel to her feet Quinn immediately pulled Rachel to her for a hug.

"So no more flirting with people who aren't your girlfriend, got it?" Quinn warned lightly, and Rachel murmured her agreement.

Kissing her lips softly, Quinn pulled back slightly. "I'll go and get breakfast ready while you tidy yourself up a bit and call you when it's ready."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, leaning up for another kiss before letting her go.

-0-0-0-0-

Wandering down the corridor a little while later, Santana paused as the familiar sound of a spanking echoing the from guestroom where the door was slightly ajar. Santana mentally shook her head in at that; she never understood how either girl could be comfortable with other people hearing, even if it was only her and Britts.

She had already finished making the coffee when Quinn entered. "Good morning?" Santana greeted her, posing it as a question. Quinn rolled her eyes

"She kissed him." Quinn defended, misinterpreting the judgmental edge to Santana's words.

"I didn't say anything." Santana held her hands up in surrender.

"Morning!" Brittany greeted cheerily a second later, skipping over to give Santana a peck on the lips before helping herself to her girlfriend coffee. "So what the plan for today?"

"Well we have to clean this place up before my mom gets back tonight." Quinn hinted while she started chopping fruit for their breakfast.

"I'm sorry 'we'?" Santana interrupted "I don't recall it being my idea to have a party."

"Really, because I'm pretty sure your exact words were 'Q, your birthdays coming up and you have to have a party'" Brittany argued playfully.

"You're meant to be on my side." Santana pouted, taking back her coffee and pretending to sulk.

"Aww, I'm always on your side honey," Brittany cooed, going to wrap her arms around her "which is why Quinn and I will stay here cleaning while you take Rachel to her singing lesson."

Brittany didn't miss the slightly panicked look Santana sent her, knowing that she'd rather put off the conversation with Rachel for as long as possible. Santana could see Brittany wasn't going to budge on this though so she reluctantly agreed.

Quinn finished chopping the fruit and set it, along with some muesli and yoghurt on the counter for the girls to all serve themselves.

"Rach, breakfast's ready." She called, going to wait by the kitchen door for her girlfriend. A few moment s later a rather demure looking Rachel appeared and Quinn immediately gave her a quick hug.

"Santana's going to take you to your vocal lessons if that's okay – I need to clean up around here." Quinn explained as they joined the others and started dishing up.

"Okay." Rachel agreed, glad that she wouldn't have to find a way to talk to Santana herself.

-0-0-0-0-

Rachel had been debating all through breakfast the best way to bring up what had happened the previous night with Santana, and even now that she was in the car next to the latina, both sitting in uncomfortable silence, she still hadn't decided.

"I feel like I should apologise to you but I don't know why I should because I never actually did anything to you. Why did you get so upset about my kissing Ross?" Rachel figured that since Santana was an upfront sort of person she'd appreciate them just getting to the heart of the matter.

Santana let out a heavy sigh, reluctant to begin explaining.

"Rachel, I've known for a while now that my feelings are not purely platonic." She admitted nervously; a revelation which before last night would have surprised Rachel to no end. "But I didn't realize how strongly I felt until I saw you with Ross last night."

"You've seen me with kiss Quinn hundreds of times." Rachel pointed out, trying to process what Santana was saying.

"I know. I think it's because I'm used to it, and you were with Quinn before I felt anything for you, but if you were going to be with someone else I would want that person to be me." The admission was both liberating and terrifying for Santana.

"You want to be with me? To date me?" Rachel repeated and Santana's heart was beating a mile a minute but she took it as a good sign that Rachel hadn't out rightly said no."And Brittany? What you and she have..."

"Brittany...is Brittany."

"You always say that but what does it even mean?" Rachel countered. She didn't want there to be any ambiguity around this because it could only lead to problems.

"It means that she's Brittany," Santana sighed, "She's always going to be the constant in my life and the exception to just about everything."

"So..." Rachel prompted.

"So she's still my girlfriend, and I still love her and all that stuff, but I also really care for you and Brittany had agreed to, if you're up to it, us seeing what could happen between us."

"Santana, I'm not going to deny that I feel something for you too," Santana felt a small amount of hope at Rachels confirmation of her feelings "If I were single, maybe we could try, but I'm dating Quinn, and we're definitely monogamous and I'm not going to go behind her back with her best friend."

"I wasn't suggesting you cheat on Quinn." Santana said, offended by the implication as she pulled into the driveway of Rachels vocal coach's house. "I was suggesting you arrange with her so that you can try date the both of us. People are not made to be monogamous, and the fact that you feel something for me at the same time as Quinn should tell you that."

Rachel sighed, opening the door as she considered her options. "I'll think about it, but that's all I'm promising."

"That's all I ask." Santana replied, "Give me a shout if you need me to pick you up afterward."

"I think I'll probably just walk home." Rachel explained – she lived about two blocks away and knew she would need time alone to really think before having to see Santana again.

Pulling back into the road Santana heaved a sigh of relief that as nerve wracking as that conversation had been it had ended positively. Now she just had to wait and pray Quinn doesn't over react if Rachel decided to tell her.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN:** Personally I rather liked seeing Brittany is not immune to moments of weakness and insecurities, but I'm curious how everyone else felt about it? Just in case you've missed all my previous A/N's (on like every single chapter) - Comment are always encouraged!


	13. Running Scared

**Chapter Title: **Running Scared

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 4900

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Quinn/Rachel, Brittany/Santana, discussions of Rachel/Santana

**Rating: T**

**WARNINGS: **Alcohol consumption by young minors

**Disclaimer: **Not mine never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Brittany's sister makes a silly decision and Brittany talks to Rachel and Quinn about reason developments.

**A/N: **Long delay, Ik! I've got exams starting in a couple of weeks so I doubt update speed will pick up until after that. Because I'm busy I haven't gotten around to asking someone to translate the conversation between Brittany and her sister, and then Brittany and her mom but just assume it is being spoken in Dutch

Timeline wise, this chapter starts the same Saturday the last one ended on, with Rachel and Quinn talking on Sunday. Please don't judge Quinn too harshly she's hurt and scared of what it could mean for her relationship (You'll understand when you read it). Otherwise, here you go…

-0-0-0-

That afternoon, Brittany was sitting on the sofa watching a movie with Stacy, when her sister let out an expected squeal of delight. Brittany glanced over curiously to see she was typing away rapidly on her cell phone.

"What's up?" She asked curiously

"You know Mariette Loftmann?" Stacy asked and Brittany shook her head. "She's a sophomore at McKinley and she's having a party tonight so Gracie's mom said Gracie could invite Loretta and I over to keep her company." Stacy explained.

"Stacy, if Mariette is having a party then there's no way you can go over." Brittany replied with a frown. Teenagers, plus party almost always equalled alcohol, sex and occasionally drugs. Now Brittany obviously wasn't going to judge that – considering the party she had attended the night before at Quinn's place and the numerous ones before, but it wasn't really something she wanted her baby sister to be exposed to before she had even hit high school and it wasn't something her parents wanted Stacy exposed to either. Brittany was fairly certain that Gracie's mom intended for the three younger girls to hole up in a room and watch movies or something and keep clear of the older kids but she also knew Stacy, and Loretta to some degree, and there was no way they would be content with that plan; especially if her previous excitement was anything to go by.

"Why not?" Stacy demanded as Brittany sent off a quick text to a couple of Cheerio's to find out if they had heard about the party.

"Because if it's the type of party I think it is then there is no way you're old enough to be within a hundred feet of it."

"I'm not a child anymore Brittany. I am growing up." Stacy replied hotly, "and besides, we'll probably just hang out in Gracie's room."

"Yes, because I'm naive enough to believe that. No Stacy. I'm sorry. Why not invite Gracie and Loretta around here instead?"

"You do know you're my sister, not my mom right?"

"Yes, but even Mom won't let you go." Brittany retorted. Stacy rose from her seat defiantly, intending to go find their mom. Brittany sighed and reluctantly made to follow her as her cell phone buzzed.

The text was from Marissa; one of the girls she'd texted moments ago, confirming it was the type of party Brittany suspected, though the guest list was limited to a couple of the more minor clubs like drama and music.

Entering the bedroom, Brittany resisted the urge to huff in irritation as Stacy turned to her triumphantly. "Mama said I could go."

"Did you tell Mama the whole story?" Brittany asked, glancing at her mother who was sitting on her bed behind Stacy.

"What whole story?" The girl's mother asked quickly. Brittany gave Stacy a pointed look.

"Well it doesn't really affect anything because we would be in Gracie's room far away from it, but the reason she invited me over is to keep her company while her sister has some friends over." Stacy explained.

"I'm not seeing the problem." Mrs Pierce admitted to Brittany, not understanding why her older daughter was objecting.

"Mariette is not just having some friends over; she's hosting a party. I think Stacy is still too young to be around that." Brittany explained.

"You were at a party last night." Mrs Pierce pointed out.

"Yes and I'm four years older than Stacy." Brittany replied

"If I recall right, you went to your first party when you were only a year older than Stacy is now."

"With people my own age, not two to three years older than me." Brittany argued, "And I at least was in high school at the time, Stacy's still has another whole year of junior high first."

"I thought Stacy just said they wouldn't even be at the party but upstairs in Gracie's room?" At this Brittany just sent her mother a disbelieving look.

"Stacy, do you promise to stay in Gracie's room and not bother the older kids?" Mrs Pierce asked her youngest seriously.

"Yes." Stacy replied without hesitating, and Mrs Pierce sent Brittany a look like that should satisfy her. Brittany just shook her head disbelievingly

"You're seriously going to let your thirteen year old daughter go into a house full of inebriated teenagers, where she'll be exposed to god knows what?" Brittany demanded, trying to ignore Stacy's Chester cat grin.

"Don't be flippant." Mrs Pierced warned lightly "I can't keep her locked in a closet the rest of her life and Stacy has promised she will keep away from the party. What else am I meant to do?" Brittany's mother responded.

"Tell her to invite Gracie around here instead. If they're just hanging out they can do it equally well here."

"But Gracie has an Xbox we can use." Stacy jumped in.

"There comes a point where I just have to trust I raised her right, same like I do when I trust you." Mrs Pierce sighed. Brittany's eyes flashed dangerously but before she could respond there was a knock on the front door.

-00-0-0-00-0-0-00-

It was late Saturday afternoon and Rachel's mind had been spinning the whole day since Santana had spoken to her. She had finally decided that she needed someone to talk to about it.

She was walking up the Pierces driveway when she heard a number of raised voices issuing from the house. Pausing, Rachel briefly considered if calling ahead would have been more prudent.

"Brittany?" Rachel called as she knocked on the blond's front door cautiously and the voices in side quieted. She could hear movement inside as before the door was pulled open

"Hello?" Brittany's younger sister, Stacy, answered the door, a smirk still on her face from whatever had been going on when Rachel arrived

"Hi." Rachel greeted with a smile. "I was hoping Brittany was around and had a few seconds to talk."

"Rachel?" Brittany appeared at the door beside Stacy.

"Umm hey. I was hoping we could talk?" Rachel asked tentatively, knowing she was interrupting something.

"Sure, give me two seconds to get a jacket and we can go for a walk." Brittany replied, turning back into the house and shutting the door.

"Stacy. Fine, Mama is trusting you and so I will have to too." Brittany said to her sister biting back her annoyance "You need to promise me that you'll stay away from that party, and those kids." Brittany's concern wasn't only about her sister's behaviour. Her sister and her friends were all rather mature for their age, physically, resulting in them easily looking older than they were. She didn't trust guys with beer goggles on to realise how young they actually were. "And more importantly, if anything happens, or you need someone to come pick you up or something, you call me, and if you can't get a hold of me then there's Mama, Papa, or even Santana. Okay?"

"Alright Britt, don't worry so much." Stacy shrugged off the concern.

"Okay. Well have a good time then." Brittany gave Stacy a hug, not planning on returning to the house for a good few hours, by which time Stacy would have already left. Grabbing her coat, cell phone and house keys Brittany shouted up to her mother that she was going out with a friend and would be back later before rejoining Rachel on the porch.

"Everything alright?" Rachel asked after a couple of minutes as they slowly meandered down the street.

"Yes." Brittany replied without conviction.

"You know, just because I'm always asking you for advice, doesn't mean I can't offer any." Rachel hinted. "And even if I can't help, expressing ones thoughts out loud can be rather cathartic."

Brittany gave a rueful smile. "It's just Stacy. She's going to a friend's house tonight while the friend's older sister is throwing a party, and you know what those parties get like. I don't want her around that – not at her age."

"What does your mother say?"

"Something about trusting that she raised Stacy right, the same way she trusts me."

"Well it worked with you." Rachel pointed out.

"No it didn't. I was going out to parties and fooling around with guys by the time I was 14." Rachel didn't have a response to that. "Stacy and her lot are going to try sneak downstairs to the party, same as San and I would have done at their age and I don't trust the guys there to not take advantage of them."

"Surely they'll realise how young the girls are and not want them hanging around?"

"Have you seen what my sister looks like?" Brittany asked rhetorically, "Now add heels and makeup, plus slight inebriation on the guy's part."

"Oh." was Rachel's rather effusive answer. "Everyone has to grow up eventually." She murmured softly.

"I know, I just expected it to come with high school, you know? That's when everything changes. She should still enjoy her time before all of that. It's probably a good thing that you arrived when you did though because my mom had just made the comment about raising Stacy right." Brittany didn't explain further but Rachel knew that it was a sensitive topic with the blond who looked after her sister more than her mother did. "Sorry, ignore me, I'm just ranting." Brittany stopped herself.

"I don't mind." Rachel assured her. "It helps to vent sometimes."

Brittany murmured her agreement but didn't go on. They rounded the corner of the street and arrived at the entrance to the park. The park was almost completely empty, since it was heading into early evening now. Rachel followed as Brittany led the way over to a patch of grass. Sitting down and without explanation Brittany lay back so she was staring up at the sky and after an awkward moment, Rachel copied her.

Brittany allowed her mind to calm as she stared up at the slightly purple hued sky, breathing deeply and allowing herself to relax.

Rachel, not wanting to break the quiet that had settled over them did likewise.

When she felt centred again Brittany tilted her head to Rachel.

"Sorry, you came over to talk to me and all I've done is talk instead." Brittany apologised. Rachel rolled over so she was lying on her side facing Brittany, her head propped up on her arm.

"I'm assuming Santana told you what we spoke about in the car?" Rachel asked and Brittany gave a little nod in confirmation. "Would you really be ok with us...exploring what we feel?" She hesitated to call it dating. Brittany looked at Rachel thoughtfully; she too had been thinking a lot about this situation today.

"Yes."

"Just yes?" Rachel asked, taken aback by the simple answer. Brittany sighed, and shifted so she was mirroring Rachel's position.

"I can tell what Santana feels about you, and I know you feel something too. I trust you to not intentionally hurt her, and I think that the two of you would go well together."

"And you're okay that if things go well, she and I will...?"

"Rach, honestly, I don't know what I'll feel when that time comes. It'll be different from when she and I used to see other people because with you there are deeper feelings involved, but right now, because I know you, and can trust you to be good to her; I believe I could handle it." Brittany offered her a soft smile, which Rachel returned. "But, "Brittany's tone became much more serious "Rachel, Santana is not as strong as she would have everyone believe, and while we may be friends, if you ever take advantage of her or intentionally cause her pain... " She paused and waited for Rachel to acknowledge her words. "Have you spoken to Quinn about this yet?" Brittany asked after a moment.

"No, I wanted to make sure you were okay with it first before rocking the boat needlessly with her." Rachel explained.

"Mmm, I don't envy you that conversation." Brittany commented, lying back again and watching the first couple of stars make their appearance. "I'm hungry." She added after a moment "Want to go get something to eat?"

-0-0-0-0-

They were both already in the middle of dessert, when Brittany's phone rang. Brittany glanced at the foreign number before answering it

"Hello?"

_Yeah, hi. Is that Brittany?_

"Yes, who is this?" Brittany asked, not recognising the voice, which had a slight slur to it.

_It's Gracie. _

"Is Stacy okay?" Brittany demanded quickly

_Umm, you might want to come pick her up. She says she's not feeling well. _

"Call Santana and ask her to come pick us up, and organise the bill." Brittany instructed Rachel, covering the mouthpiece of the phone - they had walked to the restaurant.

"What's your address?" she added to Gracie

Brittany listened to Gracie's garbled directions while Rachel quickly called Santana. Santana's house was not far from the restaurant so by the time they had tracked down the waiter and settled the bill, Santana was already pulling up outside.

They soon arrived at Gracie's house, and as expected, the party was already getting rather lively, though it was not particularly large. They were directed up the stairs and found Gracie and Loretta sitting in the corridor giggling. Both looked up apprehensively as the older girls approached.

"Where's Stacy?" Brittany asked by way of greeting.

"Bathroom." Loretta pointed to the door behind them and the sound of retching could be heard.

"Stacy?" Brittany called, knocking on the door lightly, but didn't receive a response. "Stacy can I come in?"

Brittany tried the handle when she didn't get a response and found the door was unlocked. Entering the room, Brittany found Stacy clinging to the toilet bowl, in which she had just thrown up in.

Stacy glanced up at Brittany pitifully before being hit by another wave of nausea and leant back over the toilet. Brittany quickly knelt down beside her, and taking the clip from her own hair, used it to pin Stacy's out of the way.

Rachel headed over to the sink and began rummaging around for some mouth wash while Santana rounded on the other two girls who were still in the doorway, looking slightly ill at the sight of their friend throwing up.

"You're all idiots, you know that right?" she asked severely "Why aren't you two in similar states?"

"She was thirstier." Loretta shrugged, clearly thinking she was being clever while Gracie laughed.

"Well we're not babysitting you two all night." Santana muttered impatiently, before heading to the stairs and shouting over the banister to Mariette.

When Mariette got up the stairs, Santana simply pointed at the two youngsters. "The only reason you get a stay of execution over Stacy getting wasted is because I don't know how she got a hold of the booze yet." Santana snapped impatiently, having always been protective of Brittany's sister. "We're going to take Stacy home, which means that those two," she pointed to Gracie and Loretta "are your responsibility. "

Just then Brittany and Rachel emerged from the bathroom, Brittany's arm firmly wrapped around Stacy as they made their way to the stairs. They could hear Mariette complaining about how her baby sister was ruing her party all the way out of the house.

They paused outside, next to the car and Santana placed a hand under Stacy's chin to tilt her head up so she could look at her properly. She was silent for a moment, listening to Stacy's breathing and feeling her forehead with her free hand while Stacy half heartedly scowled at the manhandling. Brittany watched with concern.

"Do you think she needs a doctor?" Rachel asked after a moment

"No," Santana replied after a moment, "she'll be fine. She's drunk, but not enough to warrant a doctor's visit. My place?" She added to Brittany questioningly and Brittany indicated her agreement.

"Are we not taking her home?" Rachel asked once they were all in the car.

"No, we'll take her to my place and get some food and water into her first."

"You don't want your parents finding out?" Rachel guessed, swivelling in her seat to look back at Brittany who was sitting in the back with Stacy.

"Proving my mother wrong is not worth the drama it'll cause." Brittany explained "And Stacy's my sister. I have a feeling though that she's already learnt enough from tonight to swear off of alcohol for at least another few years, although we will be talking about it in the morning when you're sober." Brittany added to Stacy, who let out a mumbled reply.

-0-0-0-0-

With Brittany's blessing, Rachel knew the next step for her was to talk to Quinn about Santana, something was dreading. After googling the internet for information on having multiple partners the following morning, Rachel decided not to delay and invited Quinn over to her place for the afternoon, hoping for an opportunity to talk.

"I was watching an interesting documentary earlier." Rachel commented offhandedly while she and Quinn were just relaxing around the house referring to something she had found on the internet.

"Oh, what about?"

"Non-monogamous couples."

"Oh," Quinn replied neutrally, not sure where the conversation was going.

"They interviewed a number of couples who had very successful relationships while one or both partners also had relationships with other people." Rachel waited nervously for her girlfriends thoughts on the topic.

"Well that shouldn't come as a surprise to you. Brittany and Santana have both been with other people whilst dating each other."

"So you think it's possible; to have a relationship with more than one person at a time and not ruin the original relationship?"

"I think it depends on the couple." Quinn replied evenly as warning bells began to tinkle in the back of her mind and Rachel could see Quinn was getting suspicious.

"Do you think we could manage that sort of an arrangement?" Rachel attempted to make it sound nonchalant but without great success. Quinn gave Rachel a hard look as she tried to determine how serious this line of questioning was.

"I don't know." Quinn replied honestly "Why?"

Rachel bit her lip, hesitating. Quinn raised an eyebrow and waited Rachel out.

"Fine," Rachel cracked, launching into full speech mode "I know this is the most clichéd break up line ever, and I swear I'm not trying to break up with you but I want to see other people. Or more specifically one other person. And this had nothing to do with you, or something missing in our relationship, because I love you and I like where we are as a couple right now, but I also think I'm developing feelings for someone and I really feel like I need an opportunity to try exploring them. I don't want to hurt you and it's not personal but I can't deny I don't feel tempted by them. I'd never cheat on you but I also feel like I can't ignore my feelings any longer, especially when I know that to some extent my feelings are reciprocated. I know she's your best friend and I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't t feel strongly about it."

Quinn listened to this speech incredulously, positively reeling from the implications of it all. She had always suspected Rachel had a crush on Brittany and Santana but never thought she'd acknowledge it, let alone ask to explore it. Rachel had said she didn't want hurt Quinn's feelings but Quinn couldn't help feeling hurt, and inadequate in a way. How do you not take it personally when your lover says she wants someone else?

"Wait." Quinn interrupted "Who exactly are we talking about?" Quinn knew it must have been either Brittany or Santana but she wasn't sure which.

"Santana." Rachel reluctantly admitted

"You know she and Brittany are in a relationship, right? They're not sleeping around with other people anymore. And how would you know that the feelings are reciprocated? Santana likes to flirt, and make people uncomfortable; it doesn't mean she actually likes you as more than a friend. Even if she did, it's not like she would out right admit it. Santana is more guarded about her feelings than anyone I know."

Quinn paused as she read the look Rachel gave her.

"She admitted her feelings to you?" Quinn half-shouted, getting more worked up by the minute. "Oh wait, it all makes sense now; only someone like Santana would start making moves on her soon to be ex friends girlfriend and suggest this unnatural 'exploring feelings' thing just to get in her pants. I can't believe you fell for that."

"Really Quinn? You honestly think Santana just wants into my pants?" Rachel couldn't even begin to explore the levels on which Quinn had just insulted her.

"I do. And I'm not going to let it happen. So no, you cannot 'explore your feelings with her', not as long as you're in a relationship with me."

"You're not even going to consider it. Just no, and that's it?"

"Yes." Quinn replied shortly. "You said if I say no you won't take things any further, and I'm saying no. You shouldn't even be having feelings for her anyway - you're dating me."

" I cannot control my feelings for Santana any more than I can control my feelings for you, but rather than just act on them I came to talk to you, and instead of discussing them and just mulling over my proposal for a minute, you shot it down without a thought. I had believed that you'd at least grant me the respect of realising how much thought and consideration went into the decision of bringing this up with you and maybe give it half as much thought before making a decision. But apparently that was too much to ask of you."

Not willing to argue any further, and hurt by Quinn's lack of consideration, Rachel stormed out. Quinn stared after her, confused and hurt by what had just happened.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana knew the second she saw Quinn enter the locker room early Monday morning that Rachel had told her, so the slap that came before she could dodge was not a huge surprise. The hand gripping her wrist and stopping her from retaliating with a slap of her own was and she glanced behind her to see it was Brittany. Irritably yanking her wrist free she turned back to Quinn, who was practically seething.

"What the fuck? You know you can't just walk into a room and slap someone?" Santana demanded, though not too antagonistically because she had a feeling she knew what it was about and could sort of understand where Quinn was coming from.

"I can when that person is trying to screw up my relationship just to get into my girlfriends pants." '

"Q, it's not about that – I don't even know if it will get to that point."

"Of course it's about that. Everything about you has to do with sex. You've been working up to this for months – I wasn't as oblivious to your flirting glances and innuendos as you thought." Quinn sneered, aiming to hurt and ignoring that on a good day Santana was like that with her too. "I only regret not saying something sooner before Rachel began to confuse lust with something more. I doubt she'd even get dinner out of you first, and then afterwards you'll leave her and go back to Brittany."

"Q, if you can't deal with the fact your girlfriend has feelings for someone else, then that's your problem, but I am not just trying to get into Rachel's pants, nor have I been working up to it for months. I wasn't even aware of just what I felt until the other night when I watched Ross kiss her." Santana snapped.

Scoffing, Quinn rounded on the other blond in the room who had been watching the exchange in silence. "And how are you okay with this? You must believe her, because I doubt you'd let her go through with this and hurt Rachel if you didn't, in which case Santana just admitted to having feelings for someone else."

Brittany was saved from replying though as at that moment Coach Sylvester entered the locker room and called Quinn away to discuss something.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ugh, its days like today that I hate the fact she's the captain." Santana groaned as she sunk onto the bench in the locker room. She had had no further opportunity to talk with Quinn since Coach had interrupted "It's not right that she gets to take out her personal frustrations on us during practice."

"It's not even eight o'clock and I'm already exhausted." Brittany agreed, sinking down next to Santana. "I'm just grateful that Principal Figgins said we can't be kept late in the mornings anymore and miss class, otherwise we'd still be there."

There were mumbles of agreement from the rest of the team as they all reluctantly began to change into their uniforms (they did morning workouts in their McKinley tracksuits to keep their uniforms fresh for the day).

"I guess I should try talk to Quinn." Santana murmured quietly to Britt.

"Maybe I should try first; she might take it better coming from me." Brittany suggested.

"Okay, but please try doing so before this afternoon's practice!"

"I'll see what I can do." Brittany promised.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, Q. Can I talk to you?" Brittany asked, intercepting the blond in the hallway between periods.

"I'm on my way to English at the moment and I really don't want to be late." Quinn replied quickly, picking up her pace in an attempt to get away.

"We need to talk about this." Brittany tried again, also quickening her steps.

"No, I've said what I have to say on the matter, Rachel is not going to be 'exploring her feelings' with anyone else as long as we're in a relationship and that's the end of it." Quinn retorted, slipping into the classroom and leaving Brittany alone in the hallway. Sighing, she reluctantly headed to her own class.

-0-0-0-0-

"Quinn, you cannot just declare the issue to be over with and expect it to be like it never happened." Brittany said, causing Quinn to jump as she walked out of the room as the bell went to find the blond dancer waiting for her. Deciding not to argue with her this time, Quinn just kept on walking as if she hadn't even heard her.

"This situation is going to have a knock on effect" Brittany continued, following her "and the way you are handling it is practically ensuring negative outcomes for all involved. I get what they're suggesting is scary but you can't just shut your eyes to it."

The rounded the corner and Quinn went into the bathroom, finally turning around to irritably face Brittany when she realised that Brittany had followed her in.

"You're going to follow me into the bathroom too?" Quinn demanded. Brittany paused to see two freshmen Cheerios by the sinks and waited while they hastily exited, closing the door behind them and leaning on it to stop anyone else from entering.

"Rachel and Santana were trying to be honest with you about their feelings and I get that it can be hard to hear that your girlfriend has feelings for someone else, but it happens and you need to deal with it without trying to blame it all on the other person. If you don't it's only going to cause problems between you two."

"And why would you care about my relationship with Rachel when your girlfriend seems intent on sabotaging it and you're doing nothing to stop her."

"Don't be so dramatic. Santana is not intent on sabotaging anything, if anything she is trying to find a way that will work for everyone. This is the situation that in most cases would lead to people cheating on their girlfriends, but rather than do that, they're trying to be honest with us. You're being selfish in trying to deny their feelings." Brittany said firmly.

"And you're being a martyr." Quinn replied heatedly "What sort of effect do you think this would have on your relationship? I get you and Santana are meant to be all evolved or whatever but do you really think you'll be able to handle seeing her with someone else, what if she decides she prefers Rachel and leaves you - wasn't that why you stopped sleeping around in the first place?" It was not lost on Brittany how much Quinn was revealing of her own insecurities, but she was gratified that, despite appearances, Quinn had actually considered the idea.

"No," Brittany replied honestly "we stopped 'sleeping around' as you put it because we were both content with just being with each other. I honestly don't know if I could handle seeing Santana in an actual relationship with someone else but I have to have faith that we could overcome any obstacles that this presents."

"Then why not just avoid obstacles and stop this? Why are you here trying to argue on their behalf?"

"Because I love Santana, and I think the two of them will have something special. They complement each other and the only reasons I can think of for stopping them stem from my own insecurities, and it wouldn't be fair of me to say no on that basis alone."

"The problem," Quinn said slowly, as she thought over Brittany's words "Is I can think of only selfish reasons to say yes."

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **Anyone else feel it was a rather disjointed chapter? I think it has to do with how I wrote it. I know the Stacy bit was pretty pointless but it goes towards Brittanys character development. Anyway, comments? Thoughts? By now you should know what to do ;)


	14. Thinking Things Through

**Chapter Title: **Thinking it Through

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1500

**Spoilers:** None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Quinn, mention Rachel/Santana

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **None

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn is searching for explanations

**A/N: **Okay, so first I must say I'm rather surprised by how many people were on Quinns side last chapter, and how many people said Quinn should break up with Rachel over this! I also got quite a number of anon reviews, some of which I have posted replies to on my LJ account - so if you did review anonymously there may be a response there for you.

Otherwise, not much else to say in this chapter, so enjoy!

-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn stared out at the football field after afternoon practice, lost in thought when a shadow fell over her. Glaring up she saw the last person she wanted to see standing over her.

Santana had been watching Quinn throughout practice and it was clear she was distracted. Santana knew Brittany had spoken to her, but was not exactly sure what had been said; though whatever it was had clearly made an impression on their friend.

"Do you really think that's a good idea after this morning?" Quinn asked as Santana sat down beside her, not turning to look away from the field.

"Please," Santana scoffed playfully "It's not like you hit that hard."

Quinn fought back a smile before glancing sideways to Santana and losing her resolve, allowing a small smile out, which Santana mirrored.

"I don't know why Rachel worried about receiving a spanking from you." It was said teasingly, but the mention of the petite girl sobered them both up a bit.

"Rachel." Quinn repeated thoughtfully, with a sigh.

"I'm really not trying to get between you two." Santana murmured after a moment .

"Then why did you tell her? Why not just keep all your damn feelings to yourself?" Quinn hissed, finally turning to face Santana properly. "Your girlfriend says I'm selfish but she hasn't stopped to consider your confession. Rachel and I were in a good place, and somehow I'm the bad guy for wanting that to continue."

Santana didn't know the details of the conversation between Brittany and Quinn, but she was somewhat taken aback by this information.

"I've never really been one for putting others ahead of myself, and sometimes you have to be selfish to be happy." Santana replied "I spoke to Rachel because I wanted her to know. I didn't mean for it to hurt you in the process." Quinn knew it was as close to an apology as she was going to get. "And wanting things to stay the same doesn't make you the bad guy."

"I'm pretty sure according to Rachel and Brittany it does." Quinn replied snippily.

"I somehow doubt that. Brittany just gets irritated when things aren't thought through properly, and while I don't know about Rachel, I'll guess it's a similar reason."

"Would you reaction have been any different if our positions were reversed?"

"Probably not." Santana agreed. They were both distracted as they noticed their girlfriends heading towards them from the school building. "Well I guess I should go. Britt wanted to stop past the mall on the way home."

"Okay," Quinn agreed as Santana stood up and headed down the stands to meet Brittany. After a couple of moments, they left, leaving Rachel to wait for Quinn.

It was obvious from Rachels expression that she was still annoyed with her girlfriend, though Quinn took the fact that she was still willing to ride to and from school with her as a good sign.

They headed to the car in silence and Quinn was starting to find Rachels reticence quite irritating.

"You know you have no right to be angry at me." She finally snapped as they pulled out of the parking lot. "I'm allowed to be hurt that my girlfriend likes someone else."

"Wait, you think that's what I'm upset about?" Rachel asked in surprise, to which Quinn just shrugged in reply.

"I didn't expect you to be okay with my feelings for Santana right off the bat," Rachel explained, "I'm upset because you implied Santana was playing me and I was too naive to see it, and because I put a lot of thought into coming to talk to you and you wouldn't even give it two seconds of thought before forming a decision. I'm upset because you assumed to know what I felt better than I do."

"Oh." Quinn responded blankly

"Yes, oh." Rachel huffed, crossing her arms and turning her attention back out of the window.

"I didn't mean to do that." Quinn admitted after a second, to which Rachel didn't respond. "I just really didn't think I'd be finding out my girlfriend likes someone else when I woke up that morning."

"I know that." Rachel allowed, her tone softening slightly.

"Rach, I've never even considered any sort of relationship that is not monogamous before." They pulled into the Berrys drive but neither girl made a move to get out of the car, rather both turning in their seats to face each other properly. "Is it something I did?"

"No." Rachel assured her quickly "Quinn, I'm going to try say this in the kindest way possible, but it honestly has nothing to do with you or us. You're right, I love where we are right now, and this is not because something's missing or lacking or anything like that. I still love you in the exact same way I did yesterday, or last week, or before that. My feelings for you haven't changed."

Rachel could tell from the way Quinn was looking at her that she wanted to believe her, but was still battling with the idea.

"Rachel, I don't know if I can do this."

"I'm not trying to pressure you, but I'm also not going to lie to you Quinn. This is something I want to try."

"I don't even know what 'this' really is." Quinn interrupted "You keep saying you want to 'explore your feelings' or give it a shot, but what exactly does that mean? Sex? Dating?"

"Santana and I haven't really discussed that," Rachel admitted "but in my mind it does mean dating and spending time together - trying to move our friendship to the next level." Rachel bit her lip, not really wanting to mention the next bit, but not wanting to lie either "If things work out, then it is probable that things will become physical between us."

There was a moment of silence as Rachels words sunk in

"Quinn, I'm not saying you have to decide today." She continued "I just would like to know if you're considering it as even a possibility."

"I don't know yet. Its going to take more than a day for me to wrap my head around this."

"Okay," Rachel agreed with a hopeful smile, just glad that Quinn had actually started thinking about it properly. "I did find a few research sites on this sort of thing – I can email them to you if you're interested?"

Quinn nodded "So can we get out of this car now before your neighbours start wandering what's the matter with us?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything." Santana commented offhandedly from where she was sprawled out on Brittany's bed while Brittany put away the clothes she had brought in her wardrobe.

"Santana, you were just being honest." Brittany replied easily.

"And if that honesty screws up Q's relationship?"

"Then it's too late to change anything now." Santana frowned at the unusually uncaring response. Turning around Brittany gave her an apologetic smile "I'm sorry. I know this is a big thing deal, but I feel like all I've done since Saturday is talk about this, and if I'm not talking about it I'm thinking about it. I'm pretty sure I'll be dreaming it soon enough. And at the moment there's nothing more either of us can do or say; the balls in their court now."

"You're right, of course." Santana agreed, getting up from the bed "and I'm also tired of thinking about everything, all the maybes and what if's." Santana came to stand in front of Brittany, hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of Brittanys shorts and pulling her closer. "So I think what we both need is a distraction."

Santana kissed her way lightly along Brittanys jaw before finding her lips with her own, and kissing her gently.

Brittany moved with the flow of the kiss, and allowed Santana suck on her lower lip, while her hands wandered down to Santana's firm ass, giving it a squeeze, making Santana's hips buck into her in surprise. Breaking away from the kiss, Brittany moved her attention to Santana's pulse point.

Santana let out a frustrated groan as she pushed lightly on Brittanys shoulder to stop. "Coach will kill me if you leave a mark again."

Brittany reluctantly moved on, just allowing lips to roam over Santana's neck and chest and enjoy the experience. Santana's own hands had moved up and under Brittanys top to palm her breasts.

"Bed." Santana mumbled and they separated long enough to make it to the bed before tumbling down onto the mattress together and continuing to make out, their bodies pressed together in the middle of the bed.

They were interrupted by the sound of the front door slamming shut, startling them both as Brittanys mother called upstairs to see who was home and say she brought home some take outs for dinner.

"Cockblock." Santana muttered against Brittanys skin ruefully, causing Brittany to chuckle as she called back a greeting to her mom.

"Come on." Brittany coaxed, regretfully sitting up and pulling Santana with her "I'll make it up to you later."

"You better." Santana replied, as they got up to go down stairs for dinner.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **Shortish chapter but I wanted to write something and I wanted to do a bit of Brittana at the end just because I felt like writing something light after all these heavy discussions. Next chapter, I promise Quinn will have made her decision and things will be moving forward again.

I hope it didn't seem like Quinn suddenly did a 180. In my mind, last chapter she was in a sort of denial about the whole thing, jumping to conclusions and not acknowledging what it all actually meant, though we did see she was thinking about it a bit with the Brittany conversation, and this chapter she's actually focussed properly on what everything means, for herself, her friendships, and relationships

For anyone interested in learning more about poly relationships or having difficulty understanding why someone would be willing to be in this type of relationship, or what it means practically, in my research for this fic I've come across this one site (. ) which has quite an extensive amount of information on it, including some FAQ's and a conversation where a polyamorous person tries to explain poly to a strictly monogamous person (. ).

As I say at the end of every chapter – please leave me a note and let me know your thoughts


	15. Falling Apart

**Chapter Title:** Falling Apart

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1500

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Quinn

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **None really

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn makes a hard decision and thing begin to unravel.

**A/N: **Crap, chapter is crap. I'm warning you right now in advance. I just couldn't get this chapter to come out. It's been like squeezing water from a rock, but at least I wrote something.

On an important side note, I just want to note that **the overall rating for this verse is NC-17**, I do give chapters individual ratings just because I find it's a nice way for readers to get an idea for the type of chapter they're about to read, but the overall rating is NC-17 which means that this fic, and particularly the Nc-17 chapters are for **Adults only**. Now the wonderful thing with fanfic is that no one would even know your age unless you write it on your profile, and my reason for mentioning this is that it's been brought to my attention that some of my reviewers have their age mentioned on their profile and they are most definitely not adults yet. Please, you can get both myself, and other authors who write similar stories, into trouble by blatantly reading and reviewing our fics: rather just wait to read this sort of stuff until you are legally old enough in your country (or at least skip over the NC-17 rated chapters)

For everyone else, enjoy and comment when you're done!

-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn couldn't believe she was about to do this. Her hands were practically trembling as she walked up Rachels driveway.

She had been mulling things over for the last week. Making a decisions, changing her mind, going back to the original decision and then coming up with a whole new idea before repeating the pattern again. If she were really being honest with herself, Quinn had known what her decision would be days ago, she was merely delaying the inevitable.

Ringing the doorbell, a part of her prayed for Rachel not to be there, even though she had already texted to say she was coming over and Rachels car was in the driveway. The door was whisked open within seconds.

Rachel greeted her girlfriend with a kiss, as was their custom, not noticing the way Quinn barely returned it before ushering her inside and rattling on about a new band she had discovered.

Quinn followed Rachel up the stairs to her bedroom, having to make a conscious effort to steel her resolve and not change her mind as Rachel babbled on in a way Quinn had always found endearing.

In the room, Rachel went over to her laptop to pull up the song she had just been talking about so Quinn could hear it when the blond finally found her voice.

"Rachel, can that wait. We need to talk." Rachel glanced over her shoulder with a frown at being interrupted before turning fully around to face Quinn when she noticed her girlfriends serious expression.

"I think we need to take a break." Quinn said, her words coming out colder than she had intended from behind all the walls she had been constructing over the last few days so she could get through this conversation in one piece. Rachel felt her whole body freeze over at the words "I don't know how to date someone who is dating someone else, and I don't want to." Quinn continued.

"I won't date Santana then. We don't need to take a break!" Rachel pleaded,.

"Yes we do. You pushing aside your feelings for Santana won't remove them and I won't ask you to repress them." Tears were threatening to spill at any moment for both of them, as Rachel heard the unyielding tone in Quinns voice that told her she would not be able to change her mind now.

"And if I refuse to date her?" Rachel tried another tactic.

"It doesn't change the fact that your feelings are still there. I have to deal with the fact that you like her and I need time to come to terms with that on my own first. In that time, you can also see if the attraction will come to anything. Only after that can I actually consider us dating again."

"Quinn, please?" Quinn just shook her head resignedly, getting up to go to the door.

Quinn made it all the way to her car before her tears started to fall.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey." Santana greeted Rachel by her locker the following morning, knowing straight away something was wrong.

"Hi." Rachel replied, putting her books into her locker and trying to act normal.

"Everything okay?"

"Mhmm," Rachel murmured as she closed her locker, "I'll see you later."

Santana caught her elbow as Rachel tried to slip into the crowds of students all heading to their first class of the day.

"Rachel?" Santana asked again in concern, trying to think what could be wrong. "are things okay between you and Quinn?"

"They're fine, we've just decided to take a break for a little while." Rachel replied reluctantly but figuring that Santana was going to find out anyway. Her nonchalance blatantly forced as she tried to slip away again, only to be stopped.

"Wait, what do you mean take a break?" Of all things Santana had considered happening, this was not one of them, and she could feel the guilt run through her, knowing she had caused this to happen.

"Look Santana," Rachel sighed heavily "I'm not really ready to discuss this with you, so can you please just let me get to class."

Santana stepped aside, swallowing the hurt she felt by Rachels rejection, even though she knew it was deserved.

It wasn't exactly unexpected when Rachel began turning down her and Brittanys invites to hang out, nor were the walls Quinn had suddenly constructed around herself, but it did make for a rather painful situation. Quinn Santana was less concerned about, because they had been through a phase of being friends at a distance, before and she trusted it would just take time for those walls to start lowering again and their friendship to return to how it was before. Rachel however was another matter.

Rachel wasn't out rightly blaming them or avoiding them even, they still saw her at school, and chatted amicably in the hallways but she stopped sitting with them at lunch, or hanging out with them after school and on the weekends, in the same way Quinn had.

The busyness of senior year made time speed by, with school work, cheerios, glee, college applications to deal with none of the girls seemed to realise how much time was going by.

"We need to sort things out with Rachel," Santana commented to Brittany more than a month later in the car on the way home from an extended cheerio practice.

"If I knew how to do that I would have done it by now." Brittany snapped, surprising Santana and revealing how much the situation was bothering her.

"Okay," Santana tried to placate her "I never said you did."

"Sorry," Brittany apologised tiredly "I just miss her, and Quinn, and I can't fix it because I'm not the one they're avoiding."

"So you're blaming me?" Santana demanded defensively, and she could feel the look Brittany sent her way even while she focused on the road. "I didn't plan for this to happen. Rachel could have always just said no and we could have all pretended I never said anything, besides, you pushed me to talk to her."

"Santana, can we not do this right now?" Brittany asked, knowing she should never have said anything but too worn out from practice to really care.

"You can't just tell me you blame me for losing our best friends and then not want to talk about it anymore." Santana replied hotly. "Especially when I wouldn't have said anything without your encouragement."

Rather conveniently, Santana pulled into Brittanys driveway at that moment and pointedly unlocked the central locking.

"Maybe not, but the final decision was yours." Brittany replied as she climbed out the car, shutting the door a little harder than necessary before Santana could respond.

The following morning Brittany arrived at Santana's house with coffee and carrot and nut muffins in hand, and ignoring the dirty look Santana's mother gave her, headed up to her girlfriends room.

"I come bearing gifts." She called sheepishly as she entered to see the door to the en suite slightly ajar and the sound of the shower running echoing out. The water stopped and a moment later Santana appeared, drying herself with a towel and not bothering about covering herself up, she glanced dismissively at the items Brittany was holding.

"Honey, I'm sorry about yesterday." Brittany apologised, putting the coffee and muffin on the dressing table before moving to wrap her arms around Santana, who reluctantly let her and even consented to a quick kiss.

"It wasn't fair to place all the blame on you, when there were other people also involved," Brittany could feel Santana relax slightly and after a moment they separated. "I was tired from practice and said things without thinking."

"I didn't have to get so defensive and you weren't completely wrong." Santana admitted as she began picking at the muffin

"Well neither were you, I did encourage you to talk to Rachel." Santana let the statement stand as she pulled her hair into a messy bun and wandered over to her cupboard to get her clothes for the day while Brittany politely ogled from across the room. "I guess I just sort of feel like the odd one out in this situation because it involves everyone but me and yet I'm still affected by it."

"Well if you want, you can be the one with feelings for Rachel, and the cause of her relationship falling apart and I'll be the one feeling left out." Santana joked.

"You're not the only reason," Brittany comforted "Rachel was the one who made the decision to tell Quinn."

"Mmm, I've been thinking I should talk to Rachel." Santana explained as she got changed "Just to let her know that I'm willing to be friends with her even if it's nothing more than that."

"I'm also worried about Quinn." Brittany added, and they had both noticed that Quinn had been behaving more recklessly than before, drinking more at parties, cutting class and the like.

"Me too," Santana replied, but they both knew their friendship wasn't really in the right place for them to call her out on it.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: **I admit I gave into readers suggestions in this chapter, which meant quite a bit of story line restructuring. I plan to do some lighter stuff soon, and some DD, just need to get past this bit first. I also need to know if anyone has any ideas fora possible reason Rachel would have to be pissed off enough at Brittany to shout and swear...I have this idea that should manage to be in character, but only if I can find a reason for it to work. I know it wasn't a particularly good chapter, but I'd still like to know what you thought of it, so **review please** and let me know!


	16. Moving On

**Chapter Title:** Moving On

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1800

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Santana, Rachel/Quinn

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **None really

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Rachel is ready to start moving on.

**A/N: **I'm trying something a bit different with this one. Thanks for all the suggestions last chapter! My exams are finally over which means about a month and a half of freedom (well from studying anyway), and hopefully more time spent writing :)

I was so excited to finally write this chapter, hope you enjoy!

**-0-0-0-0-**

Unfortunately Santana's conversation with Rachel did not go as she had hoped, Rachel s response being that she just needed space and time. Santana reluctantly agreed to back off.

Time rushing past it wasn't long before another month had gone by and Santana, Quinn and Brittany were surprised one Friday afternoon to find letters addressed to them in their lockers, written in Rachels defined script.

-0-0-0-0-

_Dear Brittany_

_The number of changes over the last couple of months has been unexpected and I want to start by apologising for my distancing myself from you. After Quinn decided she wanted to take a break from our relationship I admit to first being worried about losing your friendship, and my lack of faith in you was unfair, particularly when you made an effort to try and stay friends with me and I was the one who kept refusing to do so. I never meant for this to hurt you but spending time with you would have also meant being around Santana and I wasn't quite ready for that yet, not with Quinn and I having just decided to take a break from our relationship. I needed to get away from the whole situation, and if I could have holed myself up in some motel miles away while I worked through my own feelings I probably would have._

_I have been doing a lot of soul searching and self reflection and I think it is only fair that I tell you what I have found, since it will affect you as well. I had hoped that by now Quinn and I would be back together and that anything I felt for Santana, other to friendship, would be fading however neither of those things has happened. A while ago you gave me your blessing to start something with Santana, and I hope that I still have it because, assuming Santana's emotions are unchanged, I am now in a place where I would like to try seeing where things will lead between us. I have made peace with Quinn and I not being together, and I feel I am now in a place where I could have a relationship with Santana without her being a rebound and without it hugely betraying what Quinn and I had. _

_However, no matter what happens with Santana and I, I sincerely hope you and I will become better friends again and in future not let other external circumstances interfere with that._

_Hopefully we will be able to organise coffee or something over the weekend? I'll text you soon and we can make plans. _

_Rachel * _

_-0-0-0-0-_

_Dear Quinn, _

_This letter has not been easy to write, it's been months since you decided you wanted us to take a break, and I had hoped that by now we would have worked through things and be back together again, however the distance between us only seems to be growing, and it feels like we're less likely to get back together again, and to be honest, though my love for you is unchanged, I can no longer sit in limbo._

_You deserve to know that it is my intention to try pursuing a relationship with Santana, if she is still willing. I never intended to develop feelings for her, nor did I wish to hurt you by revealing them, although I know that that was inevitable, and I can only apologise for putting you through that. I hope that one day we can mend the distance between us._

_Love _

_Rachel * _

_-0-0-0-0-0-_

_Dear Santana_

_I must thank you for giving me the space and time I asked you for. A while ago you told me you had feelings for me that were more than purely platonic, and I admitted the same. With everything that has happened since we never had a chance to see where things would lead if we gave in to those feelings, and with what happened between Quinn and I, I was in no way ready to try. However, my feelings towards you have not changed, and I am now ready to start trying to explore them properly. I hope it is the same for you and you still want to try and see what will happen. If this is the case I hope you can meet me by the stream in the park, tomorrow at 5:30pm? _

_Rachel * _

_P.S. I have informed both Brittany and Quinn of my intentions expressed in this letter. _

_-0-0-0-0-_

Santana smoothed down the front of her skirt anxiously as she looked at herself in the mirror, her hands fluttering nervously over her outfit. She looked good, but had gone for a more understated look than she normally did. A part of her wished that Brittany was sitting in her desk chair behind her, to give her that extra boost of confidence, but it would have been unfair to ask Brittany to help her get ready to go meet Rachel.

After reading the letter Santana had quickly shot off a text to Brittany to confirm if Brittany had changed her mind on the two of them (she wouldn't get to see Brittany that evening because for the first time in a long time both her parents would be home and they wanted to do some sort of faked family bonding thing) and Brittany had replied confirming she was okay with Santana meeting Rachel.

Santana had no idea what to expect from today, whether they would just be talking or if Rachel had planned it as some sort of date, she didn't even know if they were planning on staying at the park or just meeting there and going somewhere else – the ball wasn't in her court, something which was both unusual and unbalancing to the latina.

After fiddling with a particular wisp of hair for the fourth time Santana gave up in a huff and quickly grabbed her purse and keys before she decided to change again and make herself late.

The sun was just starting to set as Santana arrived at the park andquickly wove her way through the trees, the stream Rachel mentioned being slightly off the main path and in a semi secluded corner.

Rounding the corner Santana came to the stop. On the ground in front of her was a picnic blanket, laid out with an array of Clingfilm covered dishes and some small battery operated tea lights and flower petals scattered around about with the sun setting in the background. It really did look like a scene from one of those cheesy chick flicks.

A movement to her right drew Santana's attention to where Rachel was standing, watching her take it all in.

"I might have known you'd do some being romantic gesture." Santana teased lightly.

"It's too much, isn't it?' Rachel asked immediately worried, "I was debating if I should go through with it all day long."

"Maybe the tea lights and petals."

'I knew I should have left them." Rachel mumbled, not noticing Santana's joking tone and going to turn off the little lights before Santana stopped her.

"I was teasing; I love the tealights." Santana said honestly, "This is all really nice Rach."

"Shall we sit down?" Rachel suggested after a beat, slightly more relaxed now she knew Santana liked the gesture. Santana nodded her acquiescence and allowed Rachel to lead her over to the picnic.

Rachel began unwrapping the food, offering the various savouries and finger foods to Santana.

"You know I think this is the first time someone's put this much effort into doing something for me without the hopes of getting into my pants afterwards." Santana remarked after a short while, both of them more relaxed now that they were eating and talking normally.

"Who said I didn't want to get into your pants?" Rachel quipped before realising what she had said, blushing and looking away. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I see how it is, you lure a girl out here with talk of feelings, a romantic picnic as the sun goes down when really all you want is to get some. I'm not sure whether to be hurt or flattered." Santana said in mock outrage.

"Oh definitely flattered." Rachel played along, eyes sparkling.

"I guess I shouldn't blame you, I am one fine piece of ass, and fantastic in bed, I might add."

"Oh, I have no doubt, your skills are legendary." Rachel replied, ducking as Santana flicked a olive at her. It was the first time she and Rachel had ever really bantered like this and Santana was finding she liked this side of the diva.

They both knew they had some serious things to discuss if anything was going to happen between them, but by unspoken agreement they both stuck to the lighter topics through dinner, choosing just to enjoy each others company, and it was only as they were coming to the end of dessert that the conversation turned to the more complicated matters.

"So, I'm assuming Brittany is still okay with us?" Rachel asked during a lull in conversation.

"Yeah, I checked with her before coming today." Santana admitted, and Rachel just murmured her acknowledgment, having suspected as much.

"Okay," Santana said with a suddenly decisive tone, "So I guess since you did the whole romantic thing with this picnic, it's my turn now, and you're not allowed to tease me on the corniness of this but... Rachel Barbra Berry, will you be my girlfriend?"

Santana watched as Rachels expression morph from surprise to excitement as she processed Santana's words before sobering somewhat.

"We're going to have a lot to sort out with you dating both Brittany and I."

"I know, but we can discuss that later, can you just give me an answer first?" Santana asked, failing to mask her slightly anxious tone.

"Of course I'll be you're girlfriend" Rachel gushed rapidly, a huge grin on her face.

"Good," Santana replied, also smiling ecstatically "Because now I can do this."

Getting onto her knees, Santana slowly leant forwards and into Rachels personal space, giving her only a split seconds warning before gently brushing their lips together in a kiss far more chaste than anyone would have believed Santana Lopez to be capable of.

They broke apart and watched each other for a moment before dissolving into quiet chuckles, at the fact that this was finally happening.

**AN2: **So we finally had some pezberry romance! I'm torn about how I feel on the whole letters idea but it was that or having big emotional conversations and I needed a break from that. I know Rachels writing style was rather formal but, it's Rachel and I figure she would be all formal in written correspondence.

I was so excited to finally write the girls first date, and I figured I'd let them have the night before all the complications set in. Of course I had to make it all extra romantic with Rachel planning it (and it helps that I've just finished watching West Side Story and am in a romantic mood at the moment ;)

So let me know what you thought, use the review button – it's there for a reason :)


	17. A Breakfast Brunch

**Chapter Title: **A Breakfast Brunch

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 2200

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Santana/Rachel, Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **T to M

**WARNINGS: **None really

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Brittany, Rachel and Santana all sit down to brunch to discuss how things are going to work

**A/N: **I have come to the conclusion there is nothing more annoying than an anonymous bad review. Seriously, I don't mind if you don't like something in my fic, I really won't mind you telling me about it, but I would like to be able to reply to you so we can discuss the parts you don't like – I promise, I don't bite. Please just don't complain anonymously – it's plain irritating!

Also, I know I've said this before, and the fics title is a pretty huge hint but this is a Faberrittana fic, so I really don't want anyone wasting their time thinking that Faberry is the endgame – it's not. There will be faberry, but also pezberry, brittberry, quitt and so on. I'm not reiterating this again! It's in the title for goodness sake!

Rant over but as a point of interest, (because I honestly didn't think about it enough to realise this until I researched it in prep for this fic) I've noticed that in this fandom we tend to use polyamoury to describe relationships where three or more people are involved with each other in one big relationship (i.e. all are physical together at the same time)...this is a type of polyamoury but polyamoury just means to love more than one person at the same time so Santana's relationship with both Brittany and Rachel is a form of poly, even though Brittany and Rachel are not currently involved with each other as more than friends, which is why I refer to it as such.

Lesson over for the day, lol. Enjoy the update!

-0-0-0-0-

_Good Morning! Hope this doesn't wake you and you had a good night's sleep. I think You, Brittany and I need to sit down and discuss some practicalities, so I was thinking brunch at my place? (or would you prefer to talk to us separately first?) xo R* _

Santana let out a low growl as she eyed the bright screen in her dark room, glancing at the clock to see it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet and wondering how why she keeps picking morning people to be her girlfriends. Before she could get up the energy to sit up properly to type out a response the phone let out another piercing beep and Santana made a mental note to change her message tone.

_If you're sleeping don't worry about brunch - just give me a shout when you're up. xo R* _

Rolling her eyes, Santana pressed the call button.

"Oh good, I was worried you were still sleeping." Rachel answered the phone, her caller id telling her who it was.

"I was, but I'm up now." Santana mumbled as she rolled out of bed and moved to open her curtains.

"Are you sure – you can go back to sleep and I'll call you later?" Rachel offered in concern.

"It's fine," Santana waved it off, readjusting the phone on her shoulder as she perched on her windowsill. "So you want to do brunch?"

"Only if you want to." Rachel replied cautiously "If you'd prefer, you can just discuss things with Brittany and I separately."

"And have me the go between in a three way conversation? No, brunch is a good idea."

"Okay, then if you and Brittany can be here say 11ish?"

"Works for me, and I think it'll be fine with Brittany, but just let me know if it's not."

"I thought you were going to tell her?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"Why? It's not like you and she can't be friends now and all communication has to go through me. I mean I don't really want you two gossiping about me behind my back but you can still talk and what not, and Britt is okay with us so you don't need to worry about her biting your head off over it or something. Just call and invite her."

"Oh," Rachel said, "Does she know about last night? That we're...dating." even saying it aloud gave both girls a pleasant shiver.

"Yes. It was late when I got home so I haven't spoken to her about it but I sent her a text." Honestly, Santana was also feeling a little weird about talking to Brittany because while discussing it in theory was one thing, it was another to actually be going through with the idea.

"Okay, I'll call her then. So, 11 then?"

"11" Santana confirmed before hanging up, and quickly sending B a message alerting her to the imminent call and asking Brittany to phone her afterwards before quickly hopping in the shower.

Relaxing under the hot spray, Santana took her time, nearly shrieking blue murder when her bathroom door opened before seeing the flash of blond hair.

A second later Brittany had discarded her clothes and slipped into the shower behind her and wrapped her arms around Santana.

"You were here fast." Santana noted, turning her head to give Brittay a quick kiss.

"I was on my way over when I got your message." Brittany explained, taking the sponge from Santana so she could do her back it wasn't a sexual gesture, more a reassuring one to both of them.

"Oh?"

"Mhmm," Brittany mumbled, crouching to do Santana's legs. They both knew Brittanys reason for coming over had more to do with reassuring herself that they were still them but neither commenting on it. Having Santana turn around Brittany continued washing back up the front of Santana's body before putting aside the sponge and leaning in for a passionful, breath stealing kiss.

When they broke apart they were both panting, secretly relieved that it still felt the same. The water was starting to get cold as they rested their foreheads together.

"We should get out if we're going to be at Rachels on time." Santana commented, knowing she must have been in the shower for well over half an hour by now. Brittany nodded and reached over to stop the spray.

Climbing out of the shower they both towelled off, Brittany redressing while Santana went through to her bedroom closet to pick out some clothes.

"So how was last night?" Brittany asked as Santana sifted through her various outfits. Santana glanced over her shoulder, wearily trying to read Brittanys expression but seeing nothing more than simple curiosity.

"Come on," Brittany coaxed. "It's not like it's secret, or something shameful that we can't talk about it. I want to know what happened."

Brittany really was excited to know how her best friends date went (she was assuming it was a date) and now that Brittany had had a chance to reassure herself that her and Santana's relationship was still as strong as ever she didn't mind discussing her date with Rachel.

"Well it's Rachel, so of course she went for the overly dramatic romantic gesture." Santana said with faked nonchalance.

"Which you loved every minute of." Brittany called her out on, grinning widely as her girlfriend tried to hide her embaressment at her own cheesiness. "So, come on, tell me more!"

"It was nice," Santana allowed, trying to not give into her normally buried teenage instincts of gushing about every little detail. "She had the blanket laid out with petals and battery operated tea lights when I got there and we talked just about random stuff."

"Did you kiss?" Brittany asked, choosing to ignore the slight momentary awkwardness of the question and practically bouncing up from where she was kneeling on the bed as she read Santana's expression "You did, didn't you!"

"Yeah." Santana admitted "after I asked her out."

"Aww," Brittany cooed teasingly as Santana flushed, "Well it's about time it happened."

They went on to discuss the date while Santana changed, and finished getting ready and soon enough they were pulling into the Berry's driveway.

Rachel was practically barrelled over by an excited blond when she opened the door, Brittany flinging her arms around the smaller girl. "Congratulations!" Brittany greeted a surprised Rachel who sent Santana a weary glance over the dancers shoulder.

"I told you she was okay with it." Santana shrugged as Brittany finally released her friend. The stood awkwardly for a moment as though not sure how to appropriately greet each other in Brittany's presence.

"And thanks for the letter Rach, it meant a lot to me." Brittany added breaking the moment and they all entered the house, going through to the kitchen where Rachel had laid out a rather impressive array of food.

"You do know there's only three of us?" Santana checked, eyeing the plates full of fruit, cereal, bacon and the like.

"I was aware." Rachel replied dryly, handing over a plate.

"So I suppose we should discuss the practicalities now that Santana and I are..." Rachel trailed off uncomfortably once they had all sat down to eat

"Dating." Brittany supplied "It's okay to say it Rach, "Its not like its a secret between us."

"Dating," Rachel repeated "Well I guess the first thing is is there anyone you want to tell about us, because obviously we can't be a public couple but if there's someone in particular?"

"You don't mind if we don't tell people?" Santana asked in surprise, having thought that she would have to try talk Rachel into being secret. "

"Even in big cities dating two girls at once would probably raise eyebrows and we live in a small backwards town in the middle of nowhere, most people here don't even accept lesbians, let alone polyamourous ones." Rachel explained "Of course I would rather if we could be open about it, but that's not logical, though I was hoping we could go back to being friends at school, that way we can still spend time together and it won't be too suspicious."

"Okay." Santana agreed and Brittany simply nodded her agreement.

"I don't mind you two being open about it when it's just me around though." Brittany added after a beat, causing both Rachel and Santana to send her confused looks "What I mean is like, you can kiss and cuddle if we're watching movies and stuff while I'm around, you don't have to like maintain a five foot distance from each other to make me more comfortable."

Rachel and Santana blushed sheepishly at being called out on how they had been orbiting each other since they arrived in an attempt to make Brittany more comfortable.

"You 'd be okay with that?" Santana asked searchingly

"I know it'll happen when I'm not here anyway," Brittany shrugged "besides, it's not exactly fair to ask Rachel to witness us being all touchy feely on occasion."

"I appreciate that Britt," Rachel commented. "Now time share wise, how are we going to work that?" Brittany felt Santana stiffen beside her and decided to have a little fun at her girlfriends expense.

"I was thinking I would get her on Mondays and Wednesdays, and you Tuesdays and Thrusdays, we can alternate weekends."

"And how about we get her to ourselves for the week our Birthday falls in?" Rachel suggested catching onto Brittanys game.

"I'm not an inanimate object you know, I do get some say in this." Santana interrupted indigently.

"Okay, but now public holidays are going to be a problem," Brittany continued, completely ignoring Santana's protests

"Alternate?"

"Maybe, but I want her one Christmas."

"Then I claim Easter." Rachel replied.

"Hey, you can't just 'claim' me like that, and no way are we scheduling things like this!"

"First of July." Brittany added, now biting her lower lip to contain her smile.

"Thanksgiving. I really should get a calendar to write all this down!" Rachel said excitedly, making as thought to get up although Santana beat her to it.

"No, absolutely not!" she exclaimed loudly over Brittany support for Rachel getting her calendar. "I am not going to live my life according to some schedule pinned up on a wall that tells me which of you I'm with each day."

"Alright honey, calm down." Brittany took pity on her, no longer holding back her amusement. "Of course you get a say. You can decide who gets you on Sundays."

Santana flicked a blueberry at Brittanys mischievous grin, knowing they were ust riling her up for the fun of it. "Yeah, yeah, it's all very funny until I start withholding my attention from both of you." Santana mumbled to which Brittany quickly shook her head at Rachel to confirm this would never happen, the silent communication not missed by Santana.

"Okay, too weird. I have a rule now, no secret sister-girlfriend things." Santana exclaimed, waving her hand between the two.

"Secret sister-girlfriend things?" Rachel question curiously

"Like that!" Santana exclaimed in a huff, sinking into her seat and covering her face with her hands as the pair exchanged another amused glance.

"Okay, we'll stop." Brittany said sincerely this time, giving Santana's shoulder a squeeze while Rachel hesitantly drew Santana's hand from her face, and leant over to kiss her knuckles tenderly in apology, testing out the 'physical-contact-is-okay-in-front-of-Brittany' thing and finding it less odd than she thought it would be.

"I don't think I realised what I was letting myself into with both of you." Santana mumbled, mollified by both gestures.

"Seriously though, how are we going to work out when you spend time with each of us?" Rachel asked, bring the conversation back on track.

"Well I certainly don't want to schedule it to the extent you two were suggesting."

"I don't think it'll work if we just do it randomly though," Brittany added

"How about we alternate weeks?" Rachel suggested

"It's still sounds very structured and don't want to have the issue that if I feel like seeing one of you in particular for some reason one afternoon or evening then I can't because it's not your week, and I'm sure it's the same if one of you wanted something with me." Santana inserted and they all thought about that for a moment

"What about if we just say that who's ever week it is gets first call on your time?" Rachel asked after a moment "Like, in general it's pretty much fair game and if you want to do something with Brittany one afternoon and myself another then it's no big deal, but if it's my week and I want to do something with you or we have something planned then that will take priority or visa versa? And if we want to go on dates or something then we schedule them during our week?"

"That sounds fair." Brittany agreed

"But like, I can kiss and touch you and whatever even if it's not your week?" Santana asked apprehensively and both of her girlfriends exchanged a look.

"I don't have a problem with that." Brittany agreed "If you're busy hanging out with Rachel during one of my weeks I'm not going to expect you to hold back because it's my week."

"Same here." Rachel added, and Santana let out a relieved sigh – self control in that department had never been her strong suit.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **I had fun with this chapter. Next up we've got Santana and Rachels first time and Quinn will be coming back into the picture a bit more :) Looking forward to reading your thoughts!


	18. Chivalry Is Not Always Wanted

**Title: **Chivalry While Appreciated is Not Always Wanted.

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **2000 (no idea how that happened!)

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Rachel/Santana

**Rating: **NC-17

**WARNINGS: **PEZBERRY SEX! (Yes, I do think this needs to be put as a warning after some of the reviews I've gotten, lol)

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **The glacial pace of her new relationship is starting to seriously frustrate Rachel.

**A/N**: Nothing to say, oddly enough, lol. Enjoy!

-0-0-0-0-0

Rachel let out a quiet whimper as Santana ran her tongue teasingly over her lower lip, immediately parting them to give her proper access, reclining back further into the mountain of pillows she was leaning against on her bed. It was Thursday and they were meant to be doing homework, but as seemed to be becoming habit, the second that they could be alone together for a few seconds or more, they began a heated make out session.

Although, much to Rachels chagrin, making out seemed to be all they were doing. Honestly, she had half expected Santana to 'jump her' after the picnic the night they had agreed to date, since it was fairly obvious that Santana was a rather sexual person, but with three weeks having gone by they hadn't even fully rounded second base yet! The most they did was a bit of light fondling over her top and every time she tried to push for something further Santana would pull back and suggest they take a break. Don't get her wrong, it was enjoyable and all, but it only served to wind her up! And it didn't help that she hadn't had sex in months.

While Santana lavished her attention on Rachel jawbone, Rachel tried to not so stealthily move Santana's hand, from where it rested on her hip, under the hem of her shirt and up to her rib cage – she'd even settle for 'under the top over the bra' fondling at the moment; at least it would be progress. She thought momentarily that it was a success before Santana realised what she was doing a pulled back, breathing heavily as she put some distance between them.

"Seriously Santana?" Rachel didn't bother to hold back her frustration this time. "Do you not want to touch me or something, because it kind of comes with being my girlfriend."

"Of course I want to touch you!" she replied, completely confused as to how Rachel could think that; she felt like she was on fire with want, and it took all of her self control to pull away from the petite girl.

"Really, because it doesn't seem like it."

"I was trying not to pressure you." Santana defended. "I thought you would want to take things slowly."

"There's slow and then there's glacial." Rachel retorted irritably. "For goodness sake, we haven't even progressed to some heavy petting yet."

Rachel crossed her arms tightly, trying and failing not to pout. Smiling at the adorableness of Rachel's expression, Santana climbed back onto the bed properly and moved so she could straddle Rachels lap.

She gently unfolded Rachels arms so that they were holding hands and lent over for a quick kiss. "The reason I've stopped us before from doing more than making out is because if we start something more I don't think I could stop myself, and I didn't know if you were ready to go all the way yet."

Santana could see Rachel was trying to hold on to her frustration at the her, and failing miserably, finally relaxing into a rueful smile. "Santana, I may be a romantic, but I'm also a hormonal teenager who hasn't had sex in four months. I have no doubt of my feelings for you, and I'm ready to go all the way, if you are."

That took Santana aback; not the no sex in four months because although she hadn't thought about it she knew there had been no one since Quiinn, but the fact that Rachel had asked if she was ready for this. It wasn't something anyone had ever asked her before – with Britt they had been experimenting with what felt good and not given any thought as to if they were actually ready for it, and the guys who she had slept with had assumed, knowing her reputation. But Rachel knew her reputation and her history and had still thought to ask. For the first time, Santana acknowledged to herself that she was falling in love with the diminutive starlet before her.

"Santana?" Santana blinked, realising she had been staring at her girlfriend in silence. "Santana, are you ready, because if you're not we can wait."

It was not lost on Rachel how this conversation had gone from her practically demanding sex to her now saying they could wait, but no matter how much she craved it, if Santana wasn't ready then that was different and she could wait.

"It's okay," She offered, trying not to be bothered by the strange look Santana was giving her and leaning up to give Santana a sweet, chaste kiss before making as though to get up and prompting Santana to get off of her, which she did almost on autopilot "When you know, you can tell me."

Standing she reached to take Santana's hand, giving it a tug to get Santana to stand up but Santana didn't budge, still contemplating Rachel with an unreadable expression.

"What is it?" Rachel questioned in concern, while Santana just shook her head to clear it and stood up, wrapping her arms around the small girl and pulling her closer.

"I'm ready."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana insisted that they wait until the next evening (which was their Friday date night) to do it, figuring Rachel would prefer their first time together to be special, and if she was honest with herself, she did too. She had never really had the whole romantic, rose petals on the bed, first time with someone, big night before, and this was an opportunity for her to also indulge (though if anyone asked, this was all for Rachel).

Santana may have been ready, but that didn't stop her from being nervous, which was really weird for her, because if there was one thing she knew she was good at, it was sex, but the problem was that this was more than just sex. This was feelings, and making love, and the only person she had ever done that with before was Brittany. With Brittany though, she didn't have to worry about anything; she could do something completely stupid and make a fool of herself and it didn't matter. With Rachel; she wanted to impress her as well, and by the next morning she was regretting not giving herself more time to plan something.

-0-0-0-0-

Rachel arrived at Santana's house at seven o'clock, wondering nervously what Santana had planned.

"Hey.: Santana greeted her at the door with a kiss. "We have the house to ourselves this evening."

Rachel made a mental note to speak to Santana about her parents and their regular absence sometime, not wanting to break the mood of the evening by bringing it up the sensitive topic right then.

Santana led her into the lounge where a soft glow emanated from the multiple candles scattered about the room. On the table was a pizza box and some plates, along with a couple of DVD's. It was sweet, and romantic in a toned down, sentimental kind of way.

"I figured we could do a pizza and movie night." Santana explained the obvious, feeling like maybe she should have gone for something a little grander.

"I like that idea." Rachel agreed happily, going to sit on the couch while Santana fetched the soda from the fridge.

Though they both enjoyed the evening, spending more time talking than actually watching the movies, there was a palpable undercurrent of tension as the second movie drew closer to the end, and, honestly, Santana was starting to ask herself why she hadn't just gone with the flow of things the day before rather than allow for all this build up and awkwardness when the credits began to roll.

"Shall we head upstairs?" Rachel suggested to which Santana readily agreed, hoping the change of location would help the awkwardness dissipate. It didn't. But it did give her enough time to collect herself slightly so that when they reached her bedroom and when Rachel turned to give her a light kiss she returned it without hesitation.

They both sank onto the bed and things began resumed a comforting familiarity as their tongues danced together. It was slow, and calming, with neither rushing for anything more. Rachel laying back first, with Santana following, supporting herself on her arms above the small girl. Santana shivered lightly when Rachels hands ran under her top and over her hips and abs and began to kiss her way along the smaller girls jaw.

Sitting back up, Santana fiddled with the buttons on Rachels top, pushing back the fabric. Rachel waited momentarily anxious as Santana gazed down at her; irrationally worried that the latina would see something she didn't like and get up and leave, before Santana let out a soft smile and began lightly trailing her fingers over the exposed flesh, raising goose bumps in their wake.

Rachel exhaled slowly as Santana gently cupped her breasts through the bra. Not wanting to be completely passive in what was happening, Rachel murmured for Santana to let her up, which she reluctantly did. Now kneeling facing each other, Rachel tugged at the hem of Santana's shirt, pulling it over her head and tossing it to the side. Lips met and both were determined to take their time rather than rush to sate the fire that was had begun in both of them. Touching, caressing and exploring each other, allowing hands and lips to wander over each others bodies. Bra's were removed at some point, and Rachel let out a breathy but vocal moan when Santana began to lightly suck on her left nipple, the sound going straight to Santana's core.

Unwilling to delay longer, they both began removing their pants. Santana tried to coax Rachel into laying back again but Rachel shook her head.

"This is about both of us," she explained "I want us to do this together."

Nodding her agreement, and curious as to what Rachel had in mind, she allowed Rachel to rearranged them so that Rachel was straddling her thighs while she was still sitting up. Rachel took one of Santana's hands, gently guiding it to just above her hot centre. Santana paused, her eyes seeking final permission

"Okay," Rachel agreed breathlessly and Santana needed no more prompting to move her hand lower down, gently playing along Rachels soft folds. Santana was gratified by how wet Rachel already was, and the way her hips rocked, begging for more contact. She tentatively grazed over Rachels clit, eliciting a low, demanding moan before letting out a gasp of her own when she felt Rachels hand gently graze it's way along her slit. They took their time, discovering what the other liked.

It was different to how Santana had imagined it; having thought to make love while Rachel lay beneath her enjoying the experience, rather than them both pleasuring each other at the same time, but the connetion she felt between them; being inside of Rachel while Rachel's own fingers were inside of her was inexplicably perfect for their first time together.

Santana's orgasm caught her by surprise; it wasn't the most earth shattering that she had experienced; but it suited the atmosphere of the night. If Rachel noticed she was oddly embarrassed by coming first she didn't comment on it; nor the sudden welling of emotions that she was sure were showing on her face.

After a moments recovery Santana turned her attention back to Rachel and not long after Rachel experienced her own release, slumping against Santana as she recovered.

They sank back onto the mattress, Rachel laying against Santana's side, snuggling into her enjoying the closeness

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2:** Ugh, I'm not even going to comment on my feelings about this chapter because it turned out nothing like how I wanted it, but after two weeks of writing and rewriting I decided it wasn't getting any better and I may as well post it so I can move forward.

Leave me a review if you feel so inclined.

-0-0-0-0-0-


	19. Insobriety  Stupidity

**Title: **Insobriety = Stupidity.

**Author: **Stargirl888

**Word Count:** Just under 3000

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Quinn/Santana Friendship, Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **Drinking & driving, hints at Domestic Discipline if you squint. 

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn and Satana bond at a party and make a rather stupid decision.

**A/N: **So this is my Christmas gift to everyone because I felt I had to post something before Christmas. Thanks for all the support and reviews and I hope you enjoy. Special thanks to NayaFan for her input with this chapters direction :)

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

It was another house party and Quinn eyed Santana and Rachel resentfully from where she was sitting on the couch in the corner. If she was being honest, they weren't really doing anything more than talking; laughing over some no doubt snarky comment Santana had just made, but to Quinn they may as well have been making out in front of her.

She took another large gulp from her cup – she wasn't exactly sure what was in it but the alcohol was strong enough to leave a heady burn on the way down. To say she wasn't coping well with the break up would be an understatement . She thought she had been doing pretty well while they were on a break – maybe because she always figured that they'd get back together, but after Rachels letter it had hit home that they were really over. And she knew that Rachel and Santana were together now which didn't help matters – even though no one had confirmed this for her. She took another sip, hoping that it would allow her not to think about it anymore.

Santana glanced over to the couch and spotted Quinn, her smile fading slightly as she noticed the blond. She murmured something to Rachel as Brittany appeared next to them. They all glanced in Quinns direction briefly.

"Come to gloat?" Quinn asked irritably when Santana slumped into the seat next to her a moment later.

Santana scoffed but didn't reply, instead easily taking the cup from Quinns hand to have a sip, grimacing at the strong taste.

"Since when do you drink the strong stuff?" she asked.

"You have your own." Quinn replied in annoyance, taking back the cup. "You've taken enough from me without adding my drink to the list."

"I never wanted take Rachel from you." Santana replied quietly.

"Could've fooled me."

Santana just shook her head but knew better than to argue with Quinn when drunk – it always did more harm than good.

"So what's the plan? Sit here all night getting drunk and feeling sorry for yourself?" Santana asked after a moment.

"Pretty much." Quinn agreed, taking another sip which Santana mirrored. "That wasn't really an invitation to join me."

Santana shrugged but made no more to leave.

"Just go away S."

"No can do. Haven't you ever heard you shouldn't drink alone?"

"I'm at a party full of people." Quinn pointed out.

"I stand by my earlier statement,"

"Bitch." Quinn muttered to which Santana didn't reply. They sat drinking in silence for a while; people watching.

They noticed Rachel and Kurt having an animated conversation by the stereo system. "It's not too late, you know." Santana offered cautiously "I know you think she's moved on and is over you but she's really not."

"S," Quinn sighed "I really don't want to talk about her tonight."

"Alright," Santana agreed, as they were both suddenly distracted by red faced JewFro who had obviously snuck into the party uninvited and was trying to do a version of the Funky Chicken.

"It's like he's trying to give birth." Santana snarked and Quinn's lips quirked into a half smile.

"Or lay an egg." She added, causing them both to chuckle in amusement. Puck appeared behind the boy who now had a ring of people around him, all fearing to move within three feet of him for fear of their own safety, and practically frog marched him from the house.

With the tension lessening after that both girls managed to relax more, and began exchanging comments on the people who wandered past where they were seated.

At some point in the evening Brittany came past to say she and Rachel were ready to leave, which prompted a rather inebriated Quinn to become rather tearful, though she refused to explain or leave the party with them so Santana decided to stay with her; promising Brittany she would just stay at Pucks for the night since she had been drinking and Brittany was their designated driver. Brittany reluctantly agreed, since it was her night with S anyway, hoping that whatever Santana was doing would help mend things between her and Quinn.

When Brittany left neither of them commented on Quinns odd behaviour, rather just going back to people watching.

-0-0-0-0-

"I guess I should get going; I still have to walk home" Quinn commented about an hour later as the party was winding down; having chosen not to drive to the party so she didn't need to worry about how much she drank.

"Want a ride?" Santana offered

"Didn't you come with Brittany?"

"We came in my car and she gave Rachel a lift back in hers so mine's still here." Santana explained.

"I don't really think either of us are in a state to drive right now." Quinn replied as they both rose to their feet, swaying uncertainly for a moment.

"Nonsense. I've barely been drinking this last hour, I'm practically sober." Santana replied and while it was true she was less drunk than she was earlier, practically sober was a bit of an exaggeration. Quinn looked at her sceptically, she could feel her conscience shouting to her to say no but thanks to some liquid help it wasn't as strong as it would have normally been, she was also really enjoying spending time with Santana as though the last few months never happened and not quite ready for that to end yet.

"Okay." She ignored the feeling that she had just made a mistake as she followed Santana out of the party.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Mrs Pierce was startled by the sound of her cellphone ringing, immediately worried when a glance at the clock told her it was after midnight.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Barb? It's Jill." _Jill was nurse at the hospital Mrs Pierce worked at. "Listen, it's nothing to panic about but a couple of kids were brought in here after a minor collision and asked us to call you. They're okay, just a few cuts and bruises and one sprained wrist."

Mrs Pierce knew it was neither of her kids because she had checked on both of them not half an hour ago after getting home.

"What are their names?" she asked as Brittany descended the stairs, curious to know who her mother was talking to at this hour

_Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray. _

"Oh, they're friends with my daughter. Santana's parents are out of town a lot which is probably why she asked you to call me." Mrs Pierce's serious expression immediately set Brittany to worrying as she waited for her mom to finish the phone call.

"Okay, thanks Jill, I'll come down now and collect them." Hanging up the phone Mrs Pierce turned to her daughter to explain. "It was the hospital. Quinn and Santana were in a minor car accident. They're okay, although one of them has a sprained wrist. I'm going to go fetch them."

Brittany felt a small amount of relief wash through her, though she knew she would need to see them before she stopped worrying completely. "Can I come with you?" she asked quickly. "Papa's here with Stacy."

"Alright," her mom agreed, "I just need to change quickly."

Not much later they were in the car on the way to the hospital.

They pulled up outside the hospital and Brittany followed her mom through to the front desk where a night receptionist was fiddling on the computer. After explaining to the lady on duty they were directed to the ER.

-0-0-0-

"So how mad do you think she'll be?" Quinn asked Santana as they sat in their hospital beds waiting for Mrs Pierce to arrive.

"On a scale between one and ten, I'm guessing around a 12."

"Does she even get mad though. I've never seen her angry, even after we messed up her kitchen trying to make cookies when we were ten." Quinn pointed out hopefully.

"Trust me, she gets mad." Santana had seen Mrs Pierce angry a few times in her life and she was not looking forward to seeing her like that again. "I only hope that Britt was asleep or we're both seriously in for it."

At that moment the curtain separating them from the rest of the room was pulled back and both girls cringed as Brittany and Mrs Pierce entered.

"Damn right you're in for it." Brittany agreed as she walked over to give Santana a quick kiss. "You're okay?" she confirmed, looking Santana over and relieved to see only a few plasters scattered about Santana's skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little banged up, mainly from practically falling out of the car afterwards but fine. "

"And Quinn?" Brittany asked, flitting around Santana's bed so she was located between the two of them.

"Sprained wrist." Quinn reported, indicating her bandaged arm.

"We'll you're lucky it wasn't anything more serious." Mrs Pierce observed bluntly. "Were you drinking?"

Santana and Quinn averted their eyes guiltily and Mrs Pierce let out a disappointed sigh. Santana had been around the Pierce family so much over the years that Mrs Pierce viewed her as one of her own children, a feeling reciprocated by Santana herself, and she was as disappointed the girls behaviour as she would have been had it been Brittany or Stacy in the situation. Quinn too was close to the Pierce family and the womans displeasure weighed heavily on her conscience, though not in quite the same way. They were interrupted by a nurse who called Mrs Pierce away to sign some paperwork for their release, leaving the two injured girls to face Brittany, who now that she had confirmed for herself that they were okay was furious about the situation that led to the collision.

Santana chanced a glance up at Brittany and almost physically cringed from the look in Brittanys eyes.

"Who was driving?" Brittany demanded, moving so she could survey both girls equally.

"Me." Santana mumbled, feeling about two inches tall, while Quinn fidgeted uncomfortably under Brittanys harsh gaze. She had seen glimpses of this side of Brittany when Santana would do something stupid, but though she had argued with the dancer in the past, she had never felt like she was in trouble with her, though it was somewhat comforting to Quinn, in her shaken state, that Brittany cared enough to be upset with her too. Before Brittany could say more though, Mrs Pierce returned to announce that they could leave.

000-000-000-000-000

"You should both be ashamed of yourselves tonight." Mrs Pierce said sternly as they all climbed into the car a moment later, Quinn and Santana in the back seat while Brittany rode shotgun. "To get behind the wheel of a car when drunk is reckless, and not the sort of behaviour I'd expect from you. Santana." Mrs Pierce called sharply, seeing in her rear view mirror as she reversed out of the parking that Santana was fiddling with her bag and not really paying attention, her mind consumed with thoughts of how to make it up to Brittany; as well as what Rachels reaction would be. The latina jumped and glanced up.

"Sorry." She murmured, shamefacedly.

"You knew you could have called Brittany or myself and we would have come and given you a lift home. I'm not naive enough to think that you kids don't drink, but I try to trust in the fact that if you do indulge you will be responsible about it – not get in the car and try to drive yourselves home. We've had this talk, you know you could've called me. Brittany was your DD and she could have come and fetched you if you didn't want me to know.

"And Quinn, for future reference, that option is always there for you too." Mrs Pierce added as an afterthought "If you need a lift you call me rather than getting in the car with someone who's intoxicated then do so. I'm fairly certain that you were aware of Santana's state when you got in the car and that was as stupid as attempting to drive yourself. Both you girls are lucky to have the lives that you do and you shouldn't risk losing it just because of some accident that could have been avoided." Quinn was taken aback at being singled out, and it felt rather strange to her to be lectured in this way. She knew she used to do it to Rachel on occasion, but no one ever really scolded her. Her mother would normally simply tell her not to do whatever it was and leave it at that.

They drove in silence for a few more minutes before Mrs Pierce enquired if either of the girls parents were home.

"I'm staying at Satana's place this weekend because my mom decided to go visit my aunt." Quinn said quickly, knowing Mrs Pierce wouldn't allow her to go home to an empty house tonight and not particularly wanting to become a sudden house guest of the Pierce family.

"My Dad is home." Santana added, sending Quinn a look that told her it would be fine for her to stay over.

Brittanys mom pulled into the Lopez's driveway a few moments later.

"I'm giving both you girls until 11 o'clock tomorrow morning to tell your parents what happened tonight before I do."

They both nodded dejectedly as they climbed out of the car. Brittany got out too to say goodbye with some semblance of privacy and Santana came to stand in front of her.

"You and I are going to discuss this tomorrow." She warned quietly so her mother couldn't hear them, Santana nervously shifted her weight from foot to foot, well aware that that would not be a pleasant conversation.

"Okay." Santana agreed "I'm sorry I made you worry about me."

"Worry is an understatement, though that's not the reason I'm angry." Brittany responded, consenting to give Santana a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Brittany added to Quinn, who came around to say goodbye and Quinn gave a small nod before following Santana into the house.

When they got home and Brittany went to open the door to climb out her mother stopped her.

"Both those girls were lucky it wasn't more serious. I can trust that if you ever need a ride home and you're drunk you'd call me, right?" her mom asked her seriously.

"Of course." Brittany assured her, leaning over for an awkward hug over the gear box.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning Santana's finger hovered lightly over the send key on her cell phone. She had just typed out a message to tell Brittany her father had left for the day – golfing or something like that – but she knew that doing so would mean she had to face her girlfriend that much sooner. She knew she was being a wimp by not just doing it already but considering what she knew was coming, she couldn't help it.

She had already called Rachel to tell her what had happened, and endured a 10 minute lecture on the dangers of drunk driving while Quinn was in the shower and she suspected she'd receive another one when she saw Rachel later.

Santana found it both ironic and rather sad that both she and Quinn had both been more nervous about her girlfriends reaction than their parents.

Quinns phone call to her mother had lasted all of three minutes where her mother said she was glad she was alright and that she should know better, and Santana's father had simply taken one look at the car, which had been towed to the house because the tow truck drivers were idiots and didn't think to take it to the auto shop instead, demanded the keys and then handed over the keys to the old sentra they had in the garage instead before rushing out the door because he was running late. Santana couldn't help be a little disappointed that that was the full extent of his interest in the matter.

Sighing and exchanging a nervous glance with Quinn who was sitting beside her, Santana decided it was time to face the music and hit send. Less than a minute later Brittany responded that she was on the way over.

"Umm...I should take a walk or something. I'll talk to Britt later." Quinn murmured uncomfortably.

"Okay." Santana agreed gratefully, knowing that Brittany wouldn't be pleased Quinn had left before seeing her but glad that it meant she would be alone when Brittany got there, however, no sooner had Quinn stood up and headed through to collect her jacket that they heard the front door opening – Brittany didn't live far away.

-0-0-0-0-

**So, thoughts, opinions etc? I've had the second part of this chapter with the accident written for quite a while now and have been trying to find a way to work it in so I'm thrilled to finally post it! I'm taking writers liberty with the hospital releasing Santana and Quinn into Mrs Pierces care because I don't think they're allowed to but I needed it to work – if it makes you feel better maybe when the girls were younger their parents signed something giving her permission in case anything happened while they were out of town? Idk, minor point. **

**Fair warning to everyone that the next couple of chapters are probably going to be Brittana and Quitt focussed. **

**I'm 99.999% certain there won't be another update before Christmas so for those of you who celebrate it I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas, and incase I don't get an update up before the 1****st****, Happy New Year! Thanks for all your support and sticking with me through this journey :) **

**Reviews are always appreciated ;) **


	20. Sobering up and Facing the Consequences

**Chapter Title: **Sobering up and Facing the Consequences

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 4200

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Quinn friendship, Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Spanking, Caning, Domestic Discipline

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Brittany and Quinn reconnect and Santana learns why she should never drink and drive again.

**A/N: **Okay, so that 99.999% chance I wouldn't update again before Christmas...yeah, you should know by now that I tend to do the opposite to what I say, lol. Still, I don't think anyone will complain about another update, especially considering what's in this one ;) It was really thanks to my reviewers saying how much they liked last chapter that inspired me to get this one up so quickly I haven't responded to reviews yet (mainly because I've been writing this) but I have seen them and I'll respond to everyone tomorrow.

Without further ado...

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Morning." Brittany greeted them, her anger over the previous night was still obvious.

"Hey." Quinn replied apprehensively "I was just going out for a run."

"No. You're going to stay and listen to what I have to say first." Brittany snapped. She had been thinking over their behaviour the whole morning and getting more worked up about it as time went on. She didn't even care that she never normally spoke to Quinn like that.

Not leaving any room for argument Brittany pointed to the spot Quinn had recently vacated, silently indicating her to sit down.

"Britt, I'm sure you and San will want some time to yourselves." Quinn tried to get past her but Brittany was effectively blocking the door.

"Yes, and we will later, but right now you're also going to hear me out because you are one of my best friends, I care about you and last night you knowingly got into the car with a drunk driver. So sit down."

Quinn apprehensively did so, not about to argue with Brittany when she looked as she did. While Santana felt embarrassment rush through her at Brittanys comment about a drunk driver; it sounded so much worse when said that way.

Santana glanced at Quinn sympathetically as she stood up to greet Brittany properly. Brittany consented to the quick kiss while Santana meshed their fingers together, knowing Santana was trying to show how much she regretted the previous night through action alone, but she did not allow her expression to soften. Quinn wondered briefly at the way Santana was comfortable enough to make this gesture despite Brittany's countenance, seeming to her on par with trying to pet an enraged lion. She loved Brittany but right now she wanted as much space between her and the angry blond as she could get. She momentarily wandered if this was how Rachel had felt all those times she had been in trouble, and how they had never been affectionate in the way Brittany and Santana were, when Rachel was in trouble, before pushing aside the thought at the twinge of hurt that came with thinking about when they were together.

"Go sit down." Brittany murmured in a kinder tone, pulling back and untangling their hands. Santana did so reluctantly. Brittany moved to sit on the sofa that was adjacent to the one Santana and Quinn were on, angled perpendicular to it.

"Do either of you know how nerve wracking it is to get a phone call from the hospital in the early hours of the morning? Brittany asked rhetorically and both shook their heads no, Santana trying to sink deeper into her seat. Brittany had never given her more than the briefest of scolding's in front of someone else before and it added a new level of embarrassment to everything. "Last night you could have died, you could have gone into a coma, you could have become paralysed. We've all been to enough talks about the dangers of drinking and driving to know the risks." Brittany hadn't once raised her voice, a fact that surprised Quinn who was used to people shouting when angry, even though she herself rarely did.

"Neither of us were that drunk." Quinn pointed out, already feeling shaken by the whole event and wanting to just move on from it. She was tired of getting admonished over this, deserved or not, when she already knew she was wrong. Santana could have told Quinn that this was not the right route to take.

"Had you had more than one drink?" Brittany asked calmly

"No, but..."

"Then you'd had too much to drink. And it's not as if you didn't have other options. You knew I was sober enough to drive and you could have called me, or my parents. You could have stayed at Pucks for the night. It was just stupid and unnecessary to try drive yourselves, and Santana you promised me you wouldn't drive." Their eyes met briefly at that reminder "I would expect better judgment from the two of you." Brittany paused to allow the message to sink in.

"Right, Santana, go fetch what I need from your dressing table and under your bed, you know what I want. Meanwhile, I would like to talk to Quinn for a moment."

Santana sent Brittany a pleading look as she realised just what was in store for her but didn't actually protest as she left the room, well aware of how reckless her actions the previous night had been never mind the fact she had done something she promised Brittany she wouldn't.

Quinn waited anxiously for Brittany to address her again.

"Quinn, I'm worried about you." Brittany admitted after a moment, her tone softening with concern. "And not only about your choice to get in that car last night. You've been cutting a lot of classes the last few weeks – enough for the teachers to start questioning the cheerios excuse. You're snapping at people more than you ever used to and Coach actually made you run extra laps the other day." Quinns expression darkened at the reminder; she had been distracted when she noticed Rachel sitting on the bleachers waiting for Santana during practice and missed her cue, throwing the entire team off. That never happened with her.

"Don't try to mother me." Quinn snapped, going into automatic defence mode before she could stop herself.

"That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to be a friend and saying that I'm concerned." Brittany replied calmly. "I know that you're taking this whole Rachel and Santana situation harder than you let on but behaving as you have been is not the right way to deal with it and one of these days it will get you into real trouble."

"It hasn't so far."

"Oh, what about that sprained wrist you're sporting?" Brittany asked "You're lucky; your position in the school leaves you with a lot of latitude as does your mothers regular absence, but it also means you've got no one but yourself to stop you from going too far. And when you don't do try to subconsciously punish yourself in ways that are no way healthy."

"I can stop myself." Quinn said, though she felt none of the conviction she tried to put into the words and Brittany just looked at her sadly as though she knew it.

"You're not alone in this world Quinn, you have people to talk to, people willing to help you."

"Who?" Quinn demanded, and before she could hold them back the thoughts she had been ignoring began to spill out "My mother cares only that I'm fed, clothed and shelter, the teachers at school couldn't care less about us, or those who do can only offer 'sing a song about it' for advice. My girlfriend broke up with me in a letter because she was into someone else, that someone else happening to be one of my best friends. Santana has effectively stolen my girlfriend from me and you practically encouraged it and you're not even concerned that your girlfriend likes someone else, which in my opinion is 'unhealthy'. We've barely spoken to each other in months, the same for me and San and If any of you cared about me, my life wouldn't be in the mess it's in today" Quinn's voice had risen in pitch during her speech and she was practically shouting by the end of it.

"It's not fair to blame all of that on us, and none of those things means we don't care about you. Quinn, we've been best friend for so many years, and been through so many things that there is no possibly way I could not care for you. Santana too, and I can tell Rachel still loves you. And just because I agreed to Rachel and Santana dating does not mean I'm not concerned about what it could mean for us. You're right in that there's been distance between use lately and while I allowed it to happen because I thought you needed the space, I can now she that I was wrong to do so. I should have been there for you more these last few months but I cannot redo the past. I can however tell you that that's going to change from now on, and now you're going to have to put up with me showing you how much I care, like it or not."

Quinn resisted the suddenly strong urge to hug her friend gratefully, but did offer her a soft smile. Brittanys words meaning more to her than she was willing to admit. Brittany however was not one for denying her urges and leant over to wrap her arms around Quinn. She was also not oblivious to the fact that part of the reason for Quinn got into the car with Santana was because she was clinging on to the moment of friendship the pair shared at the party.

"However," Brittnay continued as she pulled back, keeping reassuring contact by holding Quinns hands in her own, and not missing the momentary uncertainty in her eyes. "that also means that I care about you too much to sit by and continue watching you wallow and self destruct." Brittany paused to judge Quinns reaction to her words. Quinn considered momentarily, having an idea what Brittany meant.

"You can't stop me though." Quinn pointed out, "I'm not like Santana or Rachel, or even you I suppose, in a way; I can't give you or anyone else that sort of authority over me. You know that; not after all those years with my father. I won't live like that again."

"You need to be able to stop yourself." Brittany agreed; surprising Quinn who had thought that she was going to argue, but Brittany understood how important control was for Quinn. The head Cheerio wasn't like Santana who needed to let go sometimes though, because loosing that control left her feeling more vulnerable than she could handle. "But you also need consequences for when you fail to do so, because your ways of punishing yourself only lead to you doing something equally bad, for which you punish yourself again and it turns into a cycle."

Quinn found herself unable to meet Brittany's gaze. Brittany tugged on her hands gently to get her attention. "I know you Quinn Fabray." Brittany murmured when Quinn finally did look up, and Quinn could find no judgment in her eyes. "What I was suggesting was that when you feel like you're going to do something you shouldn't, or afterwards you come to me for consequences when you fail to get them elsewhere; and we can talk and decide on appropriate actions. If you'd prefer someone else, maybe Ms Pillsbury or my mom, then that's fine too, but you need to talk about things and not bottle up everything inside or try to handle it all by yourself."

"So you would punish me?" Quinn asked tentatively.

"Only after we talked and decided it was required; it's not only about that. I would like for you to come to me when you need to talk, not only when you've done something you shouldn't have."

"So not like you and Santana or Rachel?"

"No," Brittany confirmed "you would be holding yourself accountable. I'm not saying I won't be upset if you pull something like you did last night, or try to talk to you about it, but that's all, if you feel you need consequences then you can ask, but I won't assume to impose them."

Quinn gave a small nod to acknowledge she had heard while she thought.

"Think it through," Brittany continued, "In the mean time I kind of need to talk to Santana; it's not fair of me to keep her waiting so long. You can wait upstairs if you like, and later this afternoon we can do a movie marathon like we used to."

Quinn agreed and got up, Brittany offered her another quick hug before following her to the door of the lounge. Brittany called for Santana behind her as she ascended the stairs. She paused, looking around to see Santana go through from the kitchen where she had been waiting, the angle not allowing Quinn to see what she was holding. She was still standing there watching when Brittany came to the sitting room door.

"You're welcome to put in a dvd or something in Santana's room if you want. We'll probably be a short while" Brittany offered, waiting until she heard Santana's bedroom door close before closing the lounge door and turning to Santana.

Once the door was closed Santana quickly went to wrap her arms around her girlfriend and bury her face in her neck, finally alone with Brittany.

"I'm so so so sorry." Santana mumbled her apologies against pale skin while Brittany tightened her arms around her waist.

"I know you are, and I'm relieved you're alright." Brittany replied.

"I really was an idiot last night." Santana said as she pulled away enough to see the dancers face, making a rare admission.

"Yes." Brittany agreed. "What did your father say when he found out?"

"Not much – took away my car and gave me the sentra instead before running out the door to golf." Brittany tightened her arms comfortingly for a second, knowing her fathers lack of interest would have hurt the latina but otherwise didn't comment on it – they had discussed him countless times before and there was not much left to say on the matter.

"The sentra which you won't be driving for the next two weeks anyway." Brittany informed her, causing a scowl to form but no argument was forthcoming. "Shall we get this over with then?"

Santana nodded and held out the dowel rod and strap she had been sent to retrieve, her hands not all together steady. Brittany took them and placed them on the coffee table.

"There's two reasons I'm about to spank you," Brittany explained "the first is the drunken driving, and the second is that you did it not long after promising me you wouldn't. Now I already lectured you with Quinn so do you want to discuss anything else before you get into position?"

"No ma'am." Santana responded just above a whisper.

"Alright, then pants off and you can bend over the armrest of the couch."

Santana quickly removed the tracksuit pants she was wearing and Brittney put her hand lightly on the small of Santana's back to encourage her into position, knowing how difficult Santana found this part; the anticipatory moments just before always being the worst for her.

Brittany ran her hands over Santana's buttocks, resting them both there for a moment. "Breath honey." Brittany encouraged, realising Santana was holding her breath. Santana let out the air quickly before drawing more in. Brittany raised her right hand bringing it down firmly, raising only a slight sting. She spanked slow and steadily, the aim being more to warm up the area than to actually punish at the moment. Santana allowed herself to relax for a second, not minding this part too much since the sting was not all that painful.

As though reading her thoughts Brittany began to smack quicker, increasing the sting to a less comfortable level. When Santana began squirming slightly to avoid her hand Brittany stopped spanking

.

"Tell me why you're being punished?" she asked.

"I promised you I wouldn't drive myself home," Santana replied, her voice muffled from her position as she battled to focus with Brittanys hands now squeezing and pinching her ass with no sort of pattern or rhythm in mind in a far from pleasant way. "I drove my car despite having been drinking."

"Right," Brittany agreed, stopping her ministrations and reaching over to pick up the strap. "Okay, now I'm going to start and I'll stop once you've listed ten reasons why you shouldn't drink and drive."

"It's dangerous." Santana said quickly as Brittany brought down the strap with a loud slap, causing Santana's breath to catch.

"For who?" Brittany asked, giving her a second before bringing the strap down again when Santana forgot to continue.

"Myself." Santana replied.

"Yes, that's one," she counted, with another smack.

"Other people in the car."

"Two." Brittany added with another smack

"Other drivers." Santana said at the same time the next slap landed, causing her to whimper in pain.

"Three." Brittany was also keeping a careful count on the number of swats as she landed the sixths one on Santana's thighs. She was careful to keep to a slow paced rhythm of about one smack every five seconds, giving Santana enough time to answer but not too much. Santana cringed as the fire rose up, worrying that she wouldn't be able to think of the required ten reasons since she was only on three and already out of ideas.

"I could have an accident and damage my car."

"Four." Brittany continued relentlessly, refusing to allow herself to give in to the impulse and stop Santana's punishment early.

"I can't think of any more." Santana whined after a particularly hard smack.

"Yes you can." Brittany replied, slowing down slightly already on 10 smacks with the strap and not really wanting to go over twenty.

"I could be arrested."

"Good, that's five." Brittany encouraged.

"I could wind up in hospital."

"Six, and what about the other people?" Brittany hinted.

"I could put someone else in hospital."

" good, only three more." Brittany was starting to regret making her list so many reasons as she delivered another swat, knowing that Santana was not far away from reaching her limit. Santana was racking her brains for a few more reasons, finding coherent thought difficult with her backside feeling like it had been exposed to an open flame it was so sore.

"I could run someone over."

"Eight." Brittany paused now, waiting for the final two reasons.

"I...I could drive off the road and get stuck in a ditch." Santana's words were choked.

"Nine." Brittany counted and landed one last swat before Santana could give her reason number ten.

"I could drive my car off a cliff?" Brittany had to bite back a smile at that one and Santana waited anxiously to see if she'd accept it.

"There's not really any cliffs in Lima, but I guess if you were somewhere with cliffs then yes, so okay; Ten." Brittany didn't have the heart to make her think of another one.

If anything this confirmation that that ordeal was over with caused Santana to break down more as she sobbed into the couch cushions.

"Alright, you did really well." Brittany soothed softly, gently coaxing Santana up and into her arms, whispering soothing words to Santana's garbled apologies as Santana tried to gingerly rub away some of the sting.

"Now because this was so serious we're not quite finished yet." Brittany said once Santana had begun to calm down, only causing another bout of tears.

"Santana, stop." Brittany said in a firmer tone when the tears began to teeter on the edge of hysterical. "Take some deep breaths." Santana tried to follow her girlfriends advice and after a few moments calmed down somewhat.

"I don't think I can..." Santana mumbled into Brittanys neck. Brittany pulled back and forced Santana to meet her gaze.

"You can take this." Brittany said with absolute conviction. "What you did yesterday was incredibly dangerous for all those reasons you gave me and more, and you knew those reasons long before last night. I will not have a repeat of that but I will also not force you into anything so I'm going to leave you the decision."

Santana could barely stand the intensity of the blonds gaze in her current vulnerable state but she fought the urge to look away. Steeling herself like never before she nodded her consent. Brittany couldn't help but feel proud of Santana at that moment and immediately brought their lips together in an impassioned kiss.

"We can wait a little while if you'd like," Brittany allowed. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Santana took a deep breath. "I'm ready." Brittany would only normally gave her one or two stripes at most with the rod just to drive her point home; and she hoped that it would be the same today.

Brittany gave her another short kiss and glanced around to see what area would allow her sufficient space since the rod was more unwieldy and she didn't want to risk accidentally breaking something by putting having Santana back over the couch. "I think the easiest will be if we push aside the coffee table and you bend over and put your hands on your knees."

Santana nodded, slightly recovered though still dreading what was to come and wishing Brittany had let her lean over something rather than have to support herself through this ordeal. They lifted the coffee table and set it in the corner. Oddly enough, as Santana bent over she felt more self-conscious and embarrassed in this position, now that she wasn't leaning on or against something.

"Okay, I'm going to give you five." Brittany said as she took up position on Santana's left side. "One for doing something you promised you wouldn't, one for recklessly endangering you own life, Quinns and anyone else who happened to be driving around in your vicinity last night and then three to represent three alternatives you had to driving last night." Santana let out a small whimper when she heard how many.

"The first one will be for breaking your promise to me." Brittany said, bringing down the dowel quickly. Santana let out a grunt but didn't move, tears pricking at her eyes again. "For the next three I want you to give me some of the alternatives you had to driving last night."

Brittany cringed in empathetic pain as Santana replied with staying at Pucks house, having to tighten her grip on the makeshift cane and force herself not to strike too lightly as she eyed Santana's punished ass, only able to imagine how sore it must be. They got through the last three quickly; Santana citing calling someone for a lift or walking as other alternatives and Brittany taking care not to overlap any strokes, watching the stripes stand out on Santana's skin. When it was over she practically fell into Brittany who guided them to the couch, and after some awkward manoeuvring Santana managed to half lay against her girlfriend with nothing touching her aching bottom. Santana wasn't even going to attempt rubbing it right then. They relaxed in silence for a bit, both feeling drained and enjoying the closeness they were experiencing.

"You know I'm going to have bruises tomorrow." Santana muttered unhappily while Brittany ran her hands soothingly through her hair.

"Mmm," Brittany agreed tiredly.

"And then I'm going to have to go sit in church with those hard benches and I probably won't have recovered by Monday either which means sitting through the whole school day." Santana continued in a woe-to-me, exaggerated way, though without any seriousness.

"You don't even go to church except on Christmas and Easter." Brittany pointed out with a smile, playfully tugging on the strand of hair she was playing with.

"Well I was thinking of starting." Santana mumbled.

"Aww, poor baby." Brittany cooed teasingly, drawing a smile from the latina.

"For future reference though," Santana continued though with more seriousness, "I think I prefer bending over something to holding my knee."

"Noted." Brittany confirmed. "Would you like me to get some aloe gel?"

Santana nodded gratefully, carefully climbing off of Brittany before moving to lay back down on the couch on her stomach and grabbing a cushion to pillow her head.

Brittany quickly made her way upstairs. Quinn was laying out on Santana's bed channel surfing when Brittany entered. She gave Quinn a tight smile as she crossed to the dresser.

"B, I was hoping I could talk to you?" She asked tentatively.

"I just need to go back down to Santana first." Brittany replied as she found the bottle she was looking for. Quinn glanced at it uncomfortably for a second before looking anywhere but there. "I'll come back up in like five minutes and then we can talk."

"Okay." Quinn agreed and Brittany left.

When Brittany got into the lounge she found Santana dozing peacefully. She set to work quickly squeezing out some gel and carefully spreading it over Santana's bottom and upper thighs. She was trying to be as gentle as possible but she could feel Santana cringe when she went near one of the welts.

"Alright, done." She announced a minute later, capping the bottle while Santana released a grateful sigh. "Quinn wants to talk to me so why don't you take a nap?"

Santana was wiped out from the events of the last hour, along with having had very few hours sleep the night before. Brittany took her mumbled reply as a yes and grabbed the thin throw rug that was draped over the other chair and carefully arranged it over Santana's lower legs, knowing better than to pull it any higher up. She went to pull shut the curtains and block out the sunlight streaming into the room (all the windows had net curtains in them and opened onto the Lopez's back yard so she hadn't needed to close it earlier).

Making sure once again that Santana was settled comfortably – or as comfortable as was possible, she quietly left to go back up to Quinn, making sure to shut the lounge door firmly behind her.

-0-0-0-0-

**There we go, getting back into the swing of things with a spanking. I think I'm going soft – I was feeling terrible writing about Brittany caning Santana, but I've been told it's just the Christmas spirit and to ignore it :) Lol. **

**I know I don't need to tell you all how fond I am of reviews ;) **


	21. Release

**Chapter Title: **Release

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 2000

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Santana/Rachel, Brittany/Quinn, Brittany/Santana

**Rating: M**

**WARNINGS: **Consensual Disciplinary Spanking, No Faberry this chapter.

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn talks to Brittany

**A/N: **I wanted to get this up before new year so it's slightly rushed but anyway.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn looked up quickly when Brittany re-entered the room. She was still debating if what she was about to do was a good idea or not.

"Sorry about that." Brittany apologised for keeping her waiting. Quinn shrugged to show she didn't mind, sitting up properly from her relaxed position on Santana's bed while Brittany perched on the edge next to her. "So you wanted to talk?"

Quinn glanced around the room, trying to think how to phrase this right. She had been running through possible ways to have this conversation and she still hadn't settled on an approach.

"I want to apologise for last night." She explained. It felt strange to her to feel guilty over how her actions had unintentionally and indirectly affected someone else. Brittany nodded for her to go on. "I still can't really believe that I agreed to Santana driving; I knew all the risks and statistics – I just felt like none of those things would happen to me."

"The thing with going through life without consequences is we stop believing that they're real." Brittany commented.

"I think I need to see that they're real." Quinn replied, giving Brittany a pointed look and hoping she would catch on to what was being asked.

"What about the accident?"

"I got out of that with a sprained wrist, I've had worse from Cheerio's practice. I can't explain it but it's like it could have been much worse, but it wasn't. I find myself thinking to myself that even despite the minor collision the whole thing didn't turn out that badly, and I know mentally that we were just lucky but I feel as though the consequences of drunk driving are not as bad as everyone makes it out to be."

"Okay, so you need actual consequences." Brittany confirmed and Quinn nodded "but by agreeing you have to trust me to decide what's fair, you don't get any say in what the consequences actually are."

"I want to be able to say no." Quinn replied immediately. "A safe word or something."

"I'm not going to force you into anything." Brittany explained "and you need to trust me to judge the appropriate severity, but maybe a safe word is a good idea. Pick one."

"Apples." Quinn chose randomly, relieved Brittany had agreed to this. She wondered briefly if Santana had a safe word before her attention was drawn back to the other blond.

"Okay, so you say 'apples' at any time and I'll stop," Brittany agreed, her expression serious, "But Quinn, I'm going to be completely honest in saying that the consequences for last night are not going to be pleasant for you and using the safe word is a last resort; you can't use it just because you don't like something."

"How do you want to do this?" Quinn asked without replying or acknowledging what Brittany had said.

"First I want to confirm what I'd be punishing you for," Quinn nodded for her to go on. "You got into a car with Santana driving, knowing she was drunk."

Quinn flushed lightly "And let Santana drive."

"You're not her keeper, driving was her choice." Brittany argued.

"I should have tried to stop her. Despite everything, I shouldn't have just let her drive."

"And you didn't protest at all?"

"I suggested that we were both too drunk and she said she had sobered up so I let it go." Quinn explained. Brittany felt another flicker of anger at Santana that she had still driven even after Quinn brought up how much they had had to drink. She pushed it aside, reminding herself that Santana had already been punished for her behaviour, and rather tried to focus on the argument Quinn was making. She looked at her best friend appraisingly. Being honest with herself, Brittany was upset that Quinn hadn't tried to stop Santana more, but she knew that was due to the fear she had felt when she heard Santana had been in an accident, and she wouldn't allow herself to inadvertently take out her feelings on Quinn. However it was also apparent that Quinn felt that she had been wrong not to say something and Brittany didn't necessarily disagree and she had said that Quinn would be the one choosing what she was punished for; assuming it was reasonable.

"Okay," she agreed, coming to a decision. "So for getting into the car and not making a decent effort to stop Santana from driving."

"So...?" Quinn prompted.

"Take your jeans off and bend over the end of the bed, I'm going to fetch something quickly."

Brittany quietly opened the door to the lounge, and made it across the room before Santana stirred.

"B?" she asked groggily.

"I'm just busy with Quinn and needed to grab these." Brittany replied, indicating the strap and dowel rod.

"Quinn?" Santana asked, waking up a little more, wincing slightly when she tried to sit up and her ass made contact with the couch.

"Yes; I'll explain later. Are you okay with this?" Brittany asked, suddenly thinking it may have been a good idea to talk to Santana about this first, though she didn't think the latina would have a problem with it.

"Yeah," Santana reluctantly agreed, though she didn't like that Brittany had obviously been planning to do it without talking to her first had she not woken up. She'd bring it up later, she decided before realising what Brittany was planning on using. "You can't use the strap though."

"Why?" Brittnay asked in confusion.

"Because." Santana replied, suddenly feeling very possessive of the object. She had a history with that thing, much as she loathed when Brittany decided to use it. It was personal though, and not something she wanted used on anyone else.

"Because what?: Brittany tried again.

"Just because." Santana pouted, embarrassed and not really wanting to explain her strange sentimentality. Brittany looked at her curiously for a moment before shrugging.

"Okay." She agreed. She didn't know why but it was obviously important to Santana so she wouldn't argue it. "Can I use one of your dad's belts then?"

Santana nodded; having no particular connection to the object since they both disliked using it.

"You can sleep a while longer." Brittany suggested "I don't think this will be quick."

"I'm going to call Rachel – I promised I would once..." she waved vaguely in the direction of the implements.

"Cool," Brittany agreed "I promised Q we would do a movie marathon later but there's some time if you want to go see Rach first - just leave me a note."

"I may just do that." Santana agreed.

"She'll have to pick you up though; no driving remember?"

"I know." Santana said ruefully, picking up her phone and pulling up Rachels number on the screen while Brittan y had already punished her.

-0-0-0-0-

Brittany entered to find Quinn waiting in position. Looking at Quinn's form for a moment she reconsidered how she had planned to do this.

"Q, I've changed my mind," she said, going to sit down on the bed "Come lay over my lap instead."

Brittany didn't spank Santana over her lap because she found the connection to be too much during a punishment, and couldn't bring herself to do things properly, but her instincts told her that Quinn would benefit from the connection the position gave and help her know that Brittany was there for her. She hoped that because it wasn't Santana she would manage.

Quinn stood next to Brittany, cheeks bright pink but unable to make herself get into position. Brittany offered Quinn her hand and calmly guided her into position, taking care not to hurt Quinns injured wrist which was in bandages. Swallowing down her pride and remembering the one other time she had been in a similar position when she, Rachel and Brittany had stayed over at Santana's family's cabin last summer; things had been going well back then. This time felt different though; that being more of an experiment while this felt inexplicably real. Flushing, Quinn shifted about until she was slightly more comfortable; Brittany's lap was at an angle so that her upper body could rest on the mattress and she didn't need to use her arms for balance. This closeness, compared to being over the bed moments before, was both comforting and stifling to Quinn.

"Alright, so we've discussed why you're in this position. Anything you want to talk about further before we start?"

Quinn shook her head and tensed as Brittany curled her fingers into the waistband of her panties. "Do you have to...?"

"Q, I've seen more of you in the locker room."

"This is not exactly the same." Quinn argued, though she didn't protest again while Brittany pulled her panties to mid-thigh.

Brittany began spanking in a steady, monotonous pattern, barely hard enough to cause more than a light sting that would slowly build. Quinn, though relieved, was also disappointed by the unexpected lightness of it. Though not able to ignore the spanking the rhythmic, unchanging nature of it allowed Quinn to focus on her thoughts too.

"You should be thinking about why we're doing this." Brittany advised, as though knowing that Quinns mind was wondering. Quinn didn't even realise when she started squirming about or that the spanking was really beginning to hurt, until she did and then it seemed inescapable and unending as Brittany continued to land smack after smack, never missing a beat.

It was becoming too much for Quinn, with emotions coming to the surface that she didn't want to address, her chest tightened. Tears were already trickling down her face, though they were caused by the physical rather than emotional. She could tell if Brittany didn't stop soon that would change and the thought of letting out all of that scared her and brought the safe word to the tip of her tongue, equally fearing what would happen if she allowed it to continue as if she called a stop to things.

"Just give in Q." Brittany coaxed gently; knowing the other girl was fighting it. Deciding to give her that slight push, Brittany began spanking a bit harder, still maintaining the rhythm. The change was obvious when moments later Quinn was sobbing pitifully in her lap. It had been a rough day, a rough few weeks if Quinn was honest and it all came to a head at that moment. And once she started crying she couldn't seem to stop herself, crying not only about the car crash or allowing Santana to drive, but for everything else that had been bottled inside of her from her mothers disinterest to her break up with Rachel and Santana and Brittanys distance and betrayal.

Brittany rubbed her back and allowed Quinn to have her moment; breathing a sigh of relief.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Rachel was at the bakery picking up some muffins for everyone when she got the text from Santana saying that she could come over. Quickly paying she headed to the Lopez residence, anxious to see Santana for herself. She hoped Quinn was there too, to make sure that she was also okay, but knew it was unlikely since she had a strong suspicion to what had just occurred between Brittany and Santana, and knew they'd have wanted their privacy.

Pulling up to the house, Rachel saw Brittany's car was still in the driveway.

Santana greeted her at the door, pulling her inside and shutting the door, before leaning over and capturing Rachel's lips with her own before Rachel could so much as offer a hello; pressing against Rachel who was now leaning on the closed front door

"Hey." Santana muttered breathlessly when she finally and very reluctantly ended the kiss, knowing it would not be a good idea to take things further with both Britt and Quinn upstairs.

"This doesn't mean I'm not still angry with you." Rachel panted. Santana rolled her eyes. "You're okay though?"

"I'm fine Rach," Santana assured her "Though I'd be more fine if we could go to your place." She hinted.

"And Quinn, she's okay?"

"Like I said on the phone; she's got a sprained wrist but otherwise she's fine." Santana mumbled as she trailed her lips along Rachel's jaw, trying to initiate something. "And Brittany already read us the riot act."

"Good." Rachel replied, giving Santana's shoulder a light shove to get her to stop for a minute."Where's Britt? I saw her car outside."

"She's upstairs talking to Quinn." Santana explained, reluctantly taking a step back and allowing Rachel to stand properly.

"They're going to be a while. I was hoping I could use that time to trying making it up to you for last night." Santana hinted, adding in a slight pout for effect.

"Fine," Rachel agreed "You do have a lot of making up to do. You sure the others won't mind you leaving?"

"Britt actually suggested it. I would have just met you at your place but I needed you to give me a lift."

"When you say Britt suggested it, are you and she...?"

"No, we're fine." Santana assured her quickly, understanding the question "She was pissed off about it last night but we're good now."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, and Santana went to scribble a note to the others to tell them she had gone out.

-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **So, there you have it. Next chapter will pick up with Brittany and Quinn again and after that we should be able to move on to the next bit in the fic. Thoughts and comments are always encourages – I have this hope of reaching 200 reviews by new years so hopefully you can all help make that happen? Also, I'm curious as to if you thing the movie marathon Britt promised Quinn should just be the unholy trinity bonding or if Rachel should be there too – I haven't decided yet.

Looking forward to your thoughts and Happy New Year!


	22. Bonding

**Title: **Bonding

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1800

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Santana, Brittany/Quinn Friendship, Unholy Trinity Friendship

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Mentions of Domestic Discipline and consensual corporal punishment. 

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn has a breakthrough and the Unholy Trinity bond over movies .

**A/N: **I honestly have nix to say here. (Ik, gasps of shock abound, lol). Thank you to all my reviewers who helped me reach, and surpass, my 200 review goal. I'm so sorry this took me so long to write and I haven't had a chance to really double check it but I wanted to get it up!

Enjoy.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn was battling to calm herself down, taken aback by all the sudden emotions running through her at once.

"I need to get up." She mumbled, on the verge of hyperventilating; feeling stifled and claustrophobic as she was not used to being so close to someone, both physically and emotionally in her moment of weakness. Realising what was happening Brittany immediately helped her up. Quinn instantly walked to the other side of the room, putting as much physical distance as the room would allow between them. Her back to the other blond.

"I just need a minute." Quinn said, without looking around.

"Okay," Brittany replied, looking away to give Quinn some semblance of privacy.

Quinn stayed where she was, looking out of the window and taking deep calming breaths, not believing she had just broken down like that, and that she felt better for it. It was like she never realised how much was bottled inside of her until it wasn't anymore.

Brittany gave Quinn some time to collect herself, listening as her breathing calmed, but when the head cheerio still hadn't moved after a few minutes she got up an cautiously walked over to her. Not sure if Quinn would push her away or not Brittany followed her instincts and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist, hugging her from behind in a way she would often do with Santana.

Quinn stiffened in surprise, though she had sensed Brittany standing behind her, but after a second gave in to the hug, not wanting to fight the comfort the other blond offered, even if she was somewhat mortified by what had just happened.

"Are you okay?" Brittany enquired softly.

"Yes." Quinn answered, relaxing into Brittany for a moment. "Thank you." she expressed her gratitude for what had just happened, even though it had been a painful experience. Not one for prolonged gestures of affection, Quinn pulled away; though she did not relish the idea of having to look Brittany in the eye right then. Sighing, and knowing it was inevitable, she turned around.

"Shall we continue?" Quinn asked, trying not to show how much she dreaded the thought, though she knew honestly that her behaviour was deserving of more than what she had received thus far.

"Do you feel that's necessary?" Brittany asked, unsure of whether to proceed because normally she would end a punishment if Santana broke down as Quinn had, but in the same breath, Quinn had gotten off lightly for the offence. Quinn nodded seriously and Brittany couldn't even begin to verbalise how proud she was of her friend for admitting that.

"Alright," Brittany agreed, taking Quinns hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. "Shall we wait a little while?"

Brittany was concerned to continue with the punishment so soon but Quinn shook her head, wanting to get it over with. "No, now."

"Okay." Brittany agreed, letting go of Quinns hand and going over to the bed to arrange a couple of pillows in a pile in the centre.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"I'm pretty sure I could lay here all day." Rachel commented lazily as she lay sprawled out on her bed in a post-orgasmic haze, with Santana lying on her stomach to Rachels left, equally worn out.

"Mhmm," Santana agreed, "so am I forgiven for scaring you?"

"I'm pretty sure I couldn't say no to you right now even if I wanted to." Rachel muttered. Just then Santana's cellphone began buzzing to indicate she had a text message. Rachel propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Santana read it before quickly typing back a reply and putting it back on the night stand. She rolled onto her back with a groan before realising her mistake and rolling back onto her stomach.

"Brittany really gave it to you." Rachel commented, eyeing Santana's ass, which still showed the after effects of her punishment. She hadn't really noticed properly before – being distracted by all the pleasurable things Santana was doing to her body. Santana rolled onto her side, self-concious and never having had anyone actually see the after effects of her punishments besides Britt herself.

"I have to get going soon." Santana explained apologetically, changing the subject "Britt promised Quinn we'd do a movie thing and she just texted to say they were waiting for me."

"Can I come?' Rachel asked hopefully.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Santana grimaced when Rachel began to pout in disappointment, "We want to try get Quinn out of this funk she's been in since...you know, and having you there probably won't be very conducive to that goal."

"Fine." Rachel reluctantly agreed, disappointed at not getting to spend the rest of the day with Santana but considering it wasn't even her week she knew she had been lucky that they had even had this alone time. "I have some cream to put on if you'd like before you go?"

The cream sounded like a good idea but Santana wasn't sure how comfortable she was with the idea of Rachel applying it; already self-concious with Rachel even looking at the proof of what had happened earlier today...it just felt weird because it was something only Brittany had ever been privy to in the past.

"Hold on." Rachel said, sensing Santana's discomfort and getting up off the bed. She quickly retrieved the tube from her dresser before coming back to the bed and laying back on some pillows. Putting down the tube next to her she beckoned Santana over to her. When Santana was straddling her with a curious expression Rachel leant up slightly for a kiss, pulling Santana down with her. Santana quickly forgot about the cream as they got into it until she felt something cold and liquid on the top of her ass. Using one hand to keep Santana from sitting up in surprise, and continuing to make out with her, Rachels other began to spread out the cream, carefully rubbing it over the abused flesh.

It was slightly awkward for Rachel to not be able to see what she was doing or when she would encounter a particularly tender spot, but once she was sure Santana wasn't going to pull away she changed to using both hands for the job while Santana shimmied higher up to be in easier reach. Santana was even disappointed when Rachel announced she was finished.

Reluctantly climbing off the bed Santana began to redress

-0-0-0-0-

Rachel gave Santana a lift back to her house and Santana entered to find both blonds in the kitchen, Quinn pouring them some juice while Brittany microwaved up some pop corn. It was such a familiar routine for all three of them that for a moment Santana forgot all the drama that had gone on between them.

Quinn glanced up at her friends entrance, immediately blushing red at the thought o everything that had happened over the last few hours and how Santana must know about it. She did however also feel a new type of kinship with Santana after getting into trouble with her and then both enduring similar punishments from the same person.

Santana noticed the blush and momentary awkwardness and had the cause been anything other to what it was she probably would have teased Quinn about it, but knowing what the other girl was feeling and also how Brittany would react held her tongue. Instead, after greeting them, she began organising the melting of the chocolate.

Brittany could feel Santana watching her as she finished putting the popcorn into a bowl. She turned to send her girlfriend a questioning look but Santana just shook her head with a small frown. There was clearly something bothering her, but she didn't want to discuss it right then.

Once their snacks and drinks were done they all headed through to the lounge and Santana popped in The Hangover, deciding they all needed some comedy right then. Quinn hesitated when she suddenly realised that sitting through movies for a good few hours after that morning was probably not the best idea in the world. Still, gritting her teeth she sat down on the one end of the couch while Brittany took the other.

Brittany could tell the position Quinn was sitting in couldn't have been comfortable but she knew that saying something would only embarrass Quinn further so instead held her tongue while Santana sat down next to her, shifting so she was sitting on her side, with her legs curled up on the cushion. The attention turned to the movie that began to play though Brittany did notice Quinn trying to not so subtly imitate Santana a few minutes later.

When the movie was over Brittany got up to go to the bathroom. Quinn noticed Santana's pensive expression as she watched the other blond exit, but her friend shrugged it off when she realised Quinn was watching.

"How's your wrist?" Santana asked, by way of starting conversation.

"It'll heal." Quinn shrugged. They exchanged a look, commiserating and apologising for how the previous night had turned out without verbalising it.

"You finish sending off all your college applications yet?" Quinn nodded. "Where did you apply to?"

"Everywhere. I figured I'd wait to see where I was accepted to and then make decisions."

"So, ready for part two?" Brittany interrupted as she re-entered the room, going to put in the second DVD.

After the second movie they were all becoming rather peckish; the popcorn having run out long ago, so they decided to order a pizza for a late lunch/ early dinner and for the next couple of hours sat around eating, chatting and just enjoying each other's company like they always used to.

All three of them were rather worn out from the events of the day and the previous night, so they decided to make a go for one more movie before calling it a day. It was about half way through the movie when Santana realised her two companions were already practically sleeping. Turning off the movie and yawning, she tried to get up without jostling Brittany, who was cuddled against her side. Brittany shifted and blinked tiredly as she woke up, exchanging a soft smile with Santana who crossed the room to close the curtains; the sun having gone down while the movie played. Brittany rose to join Santana, giving her a soft kiss.

"Everything alright?" Brittany asked quietly; remembering Santana's off behaviour earlier. Santana shrugged, glancing at Quinn who was still asleep on the one couch.

"It's fine." Brittany gave her a sceptical look. "Just me being silly; I'll tell you another time."

Brittany accepted that, though she wasn't sure if Santana wanted to wait for them to be alone, or if she wanted more time to work through whatever was on her mind first. Either way she didn't push.

"I'm tired." Brittany commented and Santana nodded in agreement as Quinn began to stir.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked groggily.

"Not long." Santana assured her. "We're going to head to bed soon anyway; do you want to just stay over."

Quinn agreed and they all made their way upstairs.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: **Yeah, I don't feel like writing much here today. You've all been awesome about reviewing, so please keep it up and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	23. A Little More Conversation

**Title:**

**Author: **Stargirl888

**Word Count: **About 1000

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing**: Brittany/Santana, Santana/Brittany, hints of Quitt if you squint

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **Mentions of Domestic Discipline

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Santana and Brittany have an important conversation and Brittany talks to Quinn.

**A/N: **This took me ages, Ik! And it's a very short chapter, really it's more an end to the last few chapters but hopefully next chapter should be longer.

Enjoy!

-0-0-0-0-

"So, you going to tell me what was up with you today?" Brittany asked once they were alone in Santana's bedroom.

"Why were you going to spank Quinn without telling me first?" Santana blurted out as Brittany began to undress.

"I knew you'd be okay with it." She replied, pausing to look over at Santana seriously "Are you not okay with it?"

Santana shrugged, avoiding Brittany's gaze.

"San?" Bittany prompted again. "You said you were okay with this earlier; if that's not the case you need to tell me."

"I don't have a problem with you punishing Quinn, I have a problem with you not talking to me about it first." Santana replied honestly.

"Why? It wasn't like I was going to keep it a secret; I just wanted to let you sleep a bit longer."

Santana shrugged again, turning around to extract some sleeping clothes from the chest of draws. Brittany went over to her. Putting her hands over Santana's, she drew her around so they could face each other properly.

"I'm sorry I didn't intend to talk to you first," Brittany apologised sincerely, "I wasn't thinking,"

Santana accepted her apology with a small smile. "But I honestly don't understand why you are so affected by it." Brittany continued but she could see Santana didn't know how to answer her so she decided to leave it for the moment. "Lets get ready for bed."

They climbed into bed a few minutes later and Brittany drew Santana into her, planning to spoon before Santana's small whimper reminded her of earlier and she re adjusted so she wasn't touching the sensitive area. They enjoyed the calm familiar closeness for a bit before Brittany spoke.

"The reason I didn't like you punishing Quinn without thinking to talk to me about it first is because..." Brittany prompted, waiting as Santana sighed against her, having hoped her girlfriend would let it go while knowing it was unlikely.

"It makes me wonder what else you'll do without talking to me first, because you assume I'll agree." Santana replied in a quiet voice, knowing her admission would only hurt her. Brittany's arms tightened around her. Brittany was hurt but she was also angry with herself for making Santana think this.

"Like sleep with someone?" Brittany asked gently, feeling herself start to tear up as Santana hesitated before nodding.

"It's just, things are different now," Santana tried to explain. "You know I couldn't say no to you sleeping with someone else, or dating them in the same way you knew I would be okay of you punishing Q."

"I would never..." Brittany was actually crying now, not knowing how she could possibly reassure Santana properly. "You can always say no to something like that if you had a legitimate problem with it and I would always talk to you first."

"And yet you weren't going to about this," Santana turned over, propping her head up on her hand so she could look at Brittany properly; Brittany mimicking her posture. "Despite knowing how I feel about this you were still going to spank Q and not ask me first. And I know that I agreed to you punishing Rachel a long time ago, but that doesn't just extend to anyone"

"Well Quinns not just anyone, but I never thought it did and you're right," Brittany agreed, well aware of how Santana felt about the intimacy between them during a punishment. "I made a mistake and shouldn't have just assumed you'd agree; you deserved the opportunity to say no. I won't make that mistake again."

Santana accepted her girlfriends words, turning back over to resume her position against Brittany, snuggling into her while Brittany placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." She murmured against tan skin.

"It's alright," Santana accepted, twisting to meet the dancers lips with her own.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning Brittany, Quinn and Santana were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. Santana went to answer it and was surprised to find Rachel on the other side.

"I haven't forgotten we had plans or something?" She asked after greeting the diminutive girl with a quick kiss.

"No, I just thought I'd stop past and see if maybe you wanted to go shopping today since my Dad gave me his card?" Rachel explained as Brittany and Quinn emerged from the kitchen; coming to see who was at the door.

"Hey Rach." Brittany greeted enthusiastically, dodging around Santana to give her a hug which Rachel returned.

"Hi," Rachel added more demurely to Quinn who returned it. "You okay after the other night?"

"Yeah, sprained wrist but I'll recover." Quinn replied. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"So, what's up?" Brittany interrupted, having not heard Rachel's explanation to Santana. Rachel quickly explained again.

"Of course you can also come...and Quinn." Rachel offered. Brittany glanced around to judge what Quinn wanted to do before shaking her head.

"I think Q and I are going to pass." Brittany declined, "but S, you can go if you want."

Santana glanced at Brittany, checking if Brittany really wouldn't mind of if she'd prefer for her to stay.

"Okay," Santana agreed after a second "come keep me company while I change?"

Rachel nodded and followed her girlfriend upstairs while Quinn and Brittany returned to the kitchen, Quinn feeling hurt by the other's departure.

"How are you okay with that?" Quinn asked once they were both seated.

Brittany shrugged. "They're not doing anything."

Quinn gave her a disbelieving look.

"Rachel wouldn't feel it was right with you here." Brittany explained. Quinn wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Fine, but you know they do do stuff." Quinn continued.

"They're dating; I'd be more concerned if they didn't." Brittany explained though she could see Quinn still didn't understand. "I know that Santana loves me, I know that her feelings for Rachel doesn't change that and her dating Rachel was not because of something lacking in our own relationship. People don't have a set quantity of love they can feel and by giving it to one person they take it away from another; it's infinite, to suggest otherwise would be like saying that when a couple has a second child they suddenly have to love the first less."

"How can you be so sure?"

Brittany just smiled and shook her head in a way that Quinn knew meant there was something other to just intuition that made her feel this but she wasn't willing to say what it was.

"So you've never had any doubt?"

"I'm human Quinn," Brittany replied, slightly embarrassed by her own insecurity, grateful when Quinn didn't try to push the subject further.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **Like I said before, short chapter, but I felt like I needed to finish off the previous chapter before going onto the next section. I feel like I've dwelt on reasons and explanations about poly for long enough now (anyone else also feel that way?) so I'm planning to move focus to other things next few chapters. I'm going to try update a bit quicker so fingers crossed, and I know I don't deserve them after the long delay but please leave a review with your thoughts.


	24. Let Me Go

**Title: **Let Me Go

**Author:** Stargirl888

**Word Count: **About 2300

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Santana/Rachel, Brittany/Quinn friendship

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **Alcohol. 

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Quinn shows up at Brittany's house drunk.

**A/N:** Busy...RL is busy. Just...yeah. Special thanks to NayaFan for her input! Enjoy :)

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ugh!" Santana slumped into her seat in the cafeteria, across from Rachel.

"What's up?" Rachel enquired cheerfully, taking a sip of water.

Santana shook her heat irritably and shoved a couple of forkfuls of food into her mouth before mumbling "Math."

"But you're normally good at maths." Rachel countered, slightly amused now that she knew it wasn't anything too serious.

"I know but we started a new section today that makes absolutely no sense to me."

"Give it a couple of lessons and then see," Rachel suggested "If you're still confused you can always ask someone to try re-explain it to you; maybe Quinn." Santana gave a noncommittal nod, acknowledging the suggestion.

"And speaking of Quinn, is Britt not joining us?" the petite burnette continued, glancing at her watch to see that over five minutes of lunch had already passed.

"How do you find a leap between 'Speaking of Quinn' and B?" Santana said, then invalidated her point by adding "and no; she's gone to help Quinn with some History assignment in the library."

"The two of them have been spending a lot of time together recently." Rachel tried to judge Santana's reaction but she did nothing more than nod her head in agreement. "How do you feel about that?"

"Fine." She shrugged "They're friends, and I'm glad things are going well with them, and honestly; I'm glad she has someone else she's close to, to hang out with and talk to when I'm busy with you and I'm glad Quinn is letting someone in a bit more."

Brittany and Quinn had taken to having sleepovers and movie nights whenever Rachel and Santana were doing couple stuff, which Santana was honestly glad about because it meant she didn't have to feel bad about Brittany sitting at home with nothing to do...not that Brittany did do that before she mended her relationship with Quinn, but still, it put her mind more at ease.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Brittany and Stacy were just finishing clearing up dinner when there was a loud knock on the front door. They were home alone since their parents had gone to a parent teacher night at Stacy's school. Exchanging curiously confused looks Brittany lead the way through to the sitting room, looking out the window onto the driveway but there was no car present.

"Wait in here." Brittany instructed Stacy as she herself went through to the entranceway as another knock echoed through the house.

Pulling open the door a few inching before opening it fully in surprise as the head Cheerio tumbled into the house.

"Q? I thought you were doing stuff with your mom tonight?" Brittany asked as Stacy entered the room, having heard who it was.

"Hey B." Quinn slurred "My mom it appears prefers other peoples company."

Brittany put a hand on Quinns shoulder to steady her as she toppled slightly. "You're drunk." She stated after a moment.

"No shit Sherlock." Quinn replied, drawing out the words and pushing past Brittany into the sitting room and slumping onto the sofa.

"Stacy, go upstairs." Brittany asked as she followed her friend though.

"No way," Stacy replied, laughing as Quinn tried to unsuccessfully struggle her way out of her jumper, relenting and going up to her room when Brittany gave her a hard look.

"Q, you can't just show up here like this." Brittany said as she sat down beside her friend,

"Can't be here, can't be there." Quinn mumbled, pausing before trying to focus enough to glare at her "Where else am I supposed to go?" she demanded harshly before cumbling before Brittany's eyes and turning weepy "My mother is more interested in her lover than me, Santana is shacking up with my ex and Rachel...Rachel's my ex." With that tears started to fall, while Brittany watched her friend helplessly "And you...you don't even want me here."

"Q," Brittany tried to protest "Q, focus." She waited until Quinn had managed to pay attention "That's not what I meant, I meant that you can't just come over drunk when my sister is in the house, and my parents could have been here...and probably will be here soon."

"I don't blame you for not wanting me here." Quinn cried, her words mumbling to near incoherence "I wouldn't want me, but you...you said you'd be there for me, and this is me." As though realising her own patheticness Quinn pretty much collapsed over, burying her face in the couch cushions as she wept.

"I'm going to go get you some water" Brittany murmured, giving Quinn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Talking to Quinn right now was pretty much pointless.

Brittany took a few moments in the kitchen to collect herself and try decide on a plan of action before her parents got home because she actually felt a bit at a loss right then. Though she was both curious and worried about what had happened that Quinn had decided to drink in order to cope she knew that conversation would have to wait until the morning.

Brittany grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge only to return to an empty sitting room, the breeze blowing through from the entrance way alerting her to the open front door.

Quinn was tottering down the drive way when her friends angry voice echoed behind her "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

A sober Quinn might have realised how angry Brittany was to actually curse but in her current state it didn't even register. A hand grabbing her bicep to pull her back unbalanced the head cheerleader and Brittany barely managed to catch her in time.

"To someone who actually wants me around." Quinn replied, her words still slurred, though not as badly as before. She shoved the other blond away, stumbling and forcing Brittany to catch her a second time. Even though she knew the alcohol was causing Quinn to say things she wouldn't normally it still felt like a slap in the face to Brittany that Quinn thought she didn't want her around taking precedence over the anger she had felt over Quinn trying to leave in her current condition.

"Quinn, I..."

"Don't deny it. You haven't wanted to be friends since we turned thirteen and you and Santana kept trying to sneak off an do things without me." Brittany wanted to protest, but she was actually speechless. Sure there had been times over the course of their friendship where they weren't particularly close, but Quinn had also distanced herself from them at times; Brittany had always understood it never meant they wanted to stop being friends completely and assumed that Quinn did too.

"I'm giving you what you want." Quinn continued "Now you no longer have to pretend that you want to help me, or fix me or whatever."

Quinn tried to walk away again, only to find her path blocked as Brittany darted in front of her.

"I've never once 'pretended' to want to help you, Quinn." Brittany said firmly, taking a hold of Quinns shoulders to keep her in place when she tried to walk around her.

"Let me go." Quinn demanded, trying to shake her off.

"No. Quinn, whether you believe it or not, you are one of my best friends, I love you and I'm not going to just let you walk off into the night."

"Let me go." Quinn repeated, though with less force. "Please."

"No."

Brittany watched as Quinn slowly gave in, tears beginning to once again trickle down her cheeks. Pulling Quinn into her arms, Brittany held back tears of her own for the girl in front of her. Brittany knew Quinn, and that whatever had brought this all on was more than she was saying.

"Alright," Brittany murmured softly after a moment. "We're going to go inside now, get some water into you and then you're going to sleep this off."

Feeling Quinn nod against her chest Brittany gently guided Quinn back into the house.

-0-0-0-

The next morning Quinn was awoken by the ray of blinding sunlight that filtered its way onto the bed through a half open window. Groaning and twisting over she accidently rolled into the edge of the bedside table, almost toppling off in the process and resigning herself to the fact she has to open her eyes and let the day start.

She felt beyond embarrassed about her behaviour the previous night, though she pointedly refused to begin examining the cause of it right then. Rolling back onto the bed proper she squinted around the room, surprised to see that she was not alone as she had assumed but rather Brittany was sitting by her dresser with her laptop perched precariously on her lap

Quinn debated feigning sleep until Brittany went downstairs and she could at least make an attempt at sneaking out when Brittany looked up and caught her watching. The last thing Quinn wanted to do today was talk about last night.

Brittany nodded towards her bedside table and Quinn turned to see a bottle of water and some buttered toast waiting there for her with a couple of headache pills next to it.

Reluctantly sitting up Quinn took the tablets and began nibbling on the toast, Brittany's attention was back on her laptop. Just then a thought struck her.

"What time is it?" She asked in a sudden panic, remembering that it was a Wednesday and they were meant to be in school

"Like 1:30." Brittany replied without looking up, typing something as she spoke. "And you may as well relax, there's no point in trying to go in when you've already missed the majority of the day."

"Didn't you go?"

"I came home early. I was worried when you didn't reply to my messages. I didn't think you'd still be asleep this late." Quinn looked around, trying to locate her phone, noticing her jeans from last night in a rumpled heap next to the bed, recalling she had put her cellphone onto silent before she began drinking. Leaning over the side she found the device in the right pocket and opened it to find a couple of missed calls from her mom, along with the message from Brittany and four from Santana.

Deleting the missed calls and message from Brittany she opened the first one of Santana's.

**11:30 Coach says unless u re in hospital she's expecting **

**2 see u practice this afternoon. **

**11:50 Seriously Q, If u're not coming tell me so I can do **

**damage control nw. Coach is on a rampage 2day n**

**I swear I'll kick ur ass myself if you miss practice **

**without a good reason n Coach takes it out on us**

**12:30 Ik u're B's n not lying in a ditch **

** somewhere.**

**13:20 ignoring me is getting old really fast. **

Quinn rolled her eyes. Coach must really have a bee in her bonnet for Santana to send so many messages. The last thing she wanted to do right then was jump around with faked enthusiasm while her sadistic coach looked on and yelled insults but she knew the penalty for missing practice without at least some sort of doctors note when Coach was in a mood was not worth it. And going also gave her an excuse to put off the inevitable conversation with Brittany for a bit longer.

_I'll be there. In gratitude u can come up w/ a way 2 save me from ur gf after_

Climbing out from the covers, Quinn pulled on her jeans, when her phone's screen lit up.

**I o u nothing. Just mess up n Coach'll keep u late. **

_It's an option. _

**U really want to avoid her. Wat happened? **

_None of ur business. Just pls? _

**Fine. **

Quinn waited, but there was nothing forthcoming.

Brittany had turned her attention back to the essay she was working on while she waited for her friend to finish messaging whoever it was. She was startled when her own phone beeped beside her. She opened the message from Santana.

**B, I hv a favour to ask.**

Brittany frowned at the screen, wondering what this was about.

K, wat?

**Lay off Q 4 2day? Ik u're worried etc n last night etc,**

**Bt wait like a day? 4 me? **

Brittany sighed and glanced up at Quinn, noticing her anxious expression and wondering just what she said to Santana. Brittany had given her girlfriend the condensed version of the previous night but they hadn't had a chance to discuss it. She was torn between being amused and hurt that Quinn had asked her girlfriend to help her get out of talking though, instead of just telling her herself.

S...

Brittany really didn't want to have to wait another whole day to talk to Quinn.

**Can I call in one of my favours?**

Brittany sighed, if Santana was calling in favours she must feel that this delay was important. Brittany knew she could still say no and really put her foot down but while she didn't particularly want to agree, she was also sure that something had happened between Q and her mom to set her off and Quinn was more likely to talk to Santana than anyone else about it. And forcing Quinn into things was generally not the best approach.

Fine. 

Closing her laptop and putting it aside, Brittany stood up, Quinn watching her anxiously, knowing from her friends expression that she was hurt about something.

"Q, next time you don't want to talk about something with me, rather tell me yourself than going through my girlfriend."

Quinn blushed guiltily as Brittany left the room without waiting for a response. Quinn hated hurting the other blond, and it was clear she had done just that by trying to go through Santana, but she also really wasn't ready to confront her actions the previous evening.

She glanced down to see she had another message.

**K, I had to call in a favour 4 that. As thx**

**U're taking me to breadstix after prac. **

Quinn sighed, having already expected Santana to say something of the sort.

**AN 2: **So what did you think?


	25. Talking Talking Talking

**Title: **Talking, Talking, Talking

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 2400

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Brittany/Quinn

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary:** We find out the reason for Quinn's drunken midnight ramble.

**A/N: **Hey all! I know it's been absolutely ages since I updated, and I have no excuse other to things being hectically busy in RL. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see I didn't even expect to have this update up for a while yet. Because I'm so busy I'm taking a bit of a break from writing; now this fic is not technically on hiatus because there might or might not be updates, depending on what's happening in my life, time available and inspiration, but basically I'm not going to try to force myself to write until mid-June when my exams are over (I'm still around on twitter and FF though if anyone does need to PM me). However, if you notice it's July and I still have not updated, I give you full permission to pester me until I do! (long AN ik, bt the last few have been short so I'm making up for it, lol.)

This chapter, this is more a character study of Quinn than anything else, so I'll be curious to read your thoughts at the end.

Enjoy!

-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana stirred her coffee idly as she watched the blond sitting across from her. Quinn's expression was stoic, her eyes on the table unseeing. Santana sat back and reached for a breadstick, the movement drawing Quinn from her thoughts and her gaze flickered up to meet her friends before darting away again as she had a sip of her drink. Santana waited it out, not needing to ask because they both knew what they were there to discuss. Her patience lasted through ordering and two breadsticks before she selected a third breadstick and breaking off a small piece, pelted Quinn with it.

Quinn looked up, pretending to glare at her mildly amused friend whose only response was to pelt her with another piece, drawing chuckle from the blond. Their amusement died down after a moment and Santana raised an eyebrow, silently questioning.

"I just couldn't face sympathy and today." Quinn said, Santana knew it was as close to a thank you as she was going to get for interceding with Brittany. She nodded for Quinn to continue. Taking a deep breath Quinn prepared herself to explain. "My mother is moving to Seattle with her toy boy."

The bitterness in her tone was not lost on either of them.

"You're not going with?"

"It's only a few months until we graduate and then I'd be moving out anyway to go to college. I can handle taking care of myself for a few months." The way Quinn said it told Santana that these were not her arguments but her mothers. She could picture Judy Fabray sitting there and making out like she was doing her teenage daughter a favour by leaving her to live on her own while she went gallivanting with her latest beau.

"Shit." Santana muttered as she processed what Quinn was saying.

Quinn took another sip from her cup, shrugging slightly as though this didn't matter to her.

"My mother is leaving me here in Lima alone, for my last few months in the house I grew up in so she can move in with Neil." Her voice was without inflection or emotion. "She couldn't even wait a few months."

"It wasn't up for discussion?" Santana already knew the answer but she asked anyway. Quinn let out a humourless laugh.

"We're Fabrays. She's the mother, I'm the child, she makes the decisions, end of story."

Everything in that statement made Santana want to rebel, and tell Quinn to stop just accepting everything without complaining, but she knew better. This was where Quinn and she differed; they both had parents who had let them down and denied them affection time and again; were absent more often than not and still expecting silent obedience, but where Santana would fight and demand to be heard, even knowing she'd be ignored, Quinn would accept the futileness of it all and move on.

So instead Santana just nodded. Quinn knew it wasn't a sign of agreement but rather the she was accepting Quinns decision. Santana began to fiddle with the breadstick that was still in her hands, needing to keep them busy.

Quinn was grateful that Santana didn't press for more or try to get her to talk about it; if she had wanted that she would have gone to Brittany. Santana she spoke to because the other girl allowed her to say things out loud, test the waters and let them become real without having to explain herself, explain what she was feeling or be coddled. She didn't get pulled into sympathetic hugs and pitying stares. She knew it wasn't because Santana was uncaring; but Santana understood, and it worked for them.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes before they were interrupted by the arrival of their food. Quinn was pouring dressing over her salad when Santana spoke.

"My house is always available, if you want." Santana offered quietly.

"And what would your mother have to say about that." Quinn dismissed

"Well I can come over to yours then." Santana tried again, ignoring the comment about her mother, though slightly irritated that Quinn wasn't picking up on what she was trying to convey.

"Yes because you're not already juggling two girls." Quinn knew exactly what Santana was not saying and was only half serious this time, mainly just teasing the latina because it wasn't often Santana showed her her caring side.

"Quinn." Santana sighed exasperatedly, "Do I really need to explain what I'm saying?"

Quinn met her friends gaze, and Santana saw the amusement in her eyes and realised Quinn was playing her after the second offer.

"No," Quinn relented "I know, and thank you."

-0-0-0-0-

They ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Santana decided to raise the second thing she wanted to discuss.

"So, next topic, what was with your drunken midnight stroll to B's?"

"It was hardly midnight." Quinn argued, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

"Fine, but next time just call someone so we can avoid night time rambles and showing up drunk in front of impressionable twelve year olds? Better yet, call before you even start drinking and either B or myself will come over so you're not alone when drunk."

Quinn nodded in acknowledgment and Santana dropped it. She'd leave that conversation to her girlfriend; Brittany was better those talks anyway.

-0-0-0-0-

Quinn was relieved when her phone went off the following morning with the customary Good Morning message from Brittany. It was something the dancer had taken to sending her every morning since the drunken driving debacle. Just little texts, talking about something that would be happening in the day or other times just the nice morning weather or a simple good morning.

This morning's one of the simple ones; just a 'Good Morning' and the glaringly obvious lack of smilie face telling Quinn that the dancer was still upset with her, though she appreciated that the message was there at all; having not expected it.

As second text came through a moment later asking if they could get together after school. Quinn sighed, but knew she couldn't really put it off much longer. She sent off a message agreeing and suggesting Britt came to her house since her mother had a spa appointment and would be out the whole afternoon.

At school they interacted as though the day were any other, but the way that Brittanys smile didn't quite meet her eyes, and the set to her shoulders when Quinn spoke with her made it apparent that things were not mended between them, though by an unspoken agreement neither brought up what was wrong, both waiting until they were seated comfortably in the Fabray living room after glee that afternoon.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I shouldn't have asked Santana to intercede yesterday." Quinn apologised first.

"Then why did you?"

"I wasn't ready to talk about the night before."

"You could have told me that." Brittany pointed out.

"I know," Quinn agreed.

"Q, if you don't want to talk to me about something you can just tell me. I'm not going to try force the information out of you."

"I'm sorry." The words felt foreign to Quinn, who was not used to using them. Brittany knew how hard it was for Quinn, who had always been prideful, to say that, and accepted the apology.

Brittany decided to move on to other topics. "Can I ask what led up to you showing up on my doorstep or should I rather not?"

"S didn't tell you?" Quinn asked in surprise; with Santana and Brittany unless you specifically asked on not to talk to anyone else about something there was 99.99% chance they would discuss it with each other.

"Only that it had to do with your mom and her boyfriend. She said she'd let you tell me today."

Quinn began to explain why her mom had invited her out to lunch.

"Can you not talk to her about it. It's only a few more months until we graduate." Brittany suggested, not understanding how Judy could even suggest this instead of waiting. It didn't make sense for Quinn to go with, and change schools this close to graduating, but why her mother didn't hold on to the last few months of her daughter living at home made no sense to the other blond.

"The decisions already been made." Quinn replied. Brittany didn't reply, waiting to see if Quinn would say more."It's just...It's my father all over again."

Brittany frowned, not seeing the connection and immediately concerned; remembering only too well how much Russell Fabray had put Quinn through before her mother finally managed to get out of the relationship when they were 13.

"Not like that." Quinn immediately replied when she saw where Brittanys mind was going. "I mean that I'm just a secondary concern again, and she's choosing him over me."

Quinn took a deep shuddering breath, feeling herself becoming emotional and trying to reign it in. Brittany reached out to take Quinns hand reassuringly, her own heart breaking at the look of hurt and hopelessness on her face. All she really wanted to do was gather Quinn into a hug, but she knew that would not be appreciated by Quinn and only send her walls flying back up. Quinn was just like that; she needed affection, probably more than most people Brittany knew, but show her too much at the wrong time and she would recoil away. She couldn't let herself accept it.

"It's not that I particularly care about living on my own for the next few months...she's away most of the time now anyway but ...I wish that one day she would pick me first." Quinn whispered and Brittany's grip on her hand tightened. Taking another breath, Quinn shook herself out of those thoughts.

"It's okay to want that." Brittany murmured gently.

"No; she's my mother."

"Quinn..."

"No.' Quinn repeated louder, glancing at Brittany apologetically "I can't allow myself to want that."

"But why?" Quinn paused, wondering if she should just take the opening and explain herself, if she was going to open up about things, B was one of the only people she would do it to.

"If I let myself want her to choose me, to actually show me that she cares about me more than her next spa appointment, that she loves me and doesn't just find my presence an inconvenience...if I let myself want that, it changes nothing. And if I tell her and she makes an effort for a while then what happens when she forgets again? I don't know if I could handle that."

Quinn had closed her eyes as she admitted the last part so it came as a surprise when she felt Brittany's arms close around her and she had to make a conscious effort to resist her reflex reaction and pull away, even if the hug was comforting.

Brittany waited for Quinn to relax into her, wishing she could offer more comfort than this. She wanted to assure Quinn that she was the most important thing in her mothers life but she knew it wasn't her place, and honestly, terrible as it sounded, even in her mind, Brittany wasn't sure if it was even true.

They separated and it was clear that there was no more they could really say on that point.

"I shouldn't have come over here yesterday." Quinn apologised.

"You shouldn't have been drinking alone without telling anyone yesterday." Brittany corrected, "And while I'm not happy that you came over completely drunk while Stacy was around, and that you also walked the streets alone, in the middle of the night, while out of it; I am glad you came to me, and that you didn't drive." Brittany offered her a small encouraging smile, which Quinn hesitantly returned.

"I guess you want to give me some sort of punishment?" Quinn asked awkwardly after a second, trying to hide the butterflies that had suddenly decided to have a party in her stomach. Brittany was surprised to realise how irritated she was by that statement, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why..

"I don't want to, but I will if you agree and will benefit from it." Brittany replied, deciding to ignore her odd emotions for now. "Do you think I should?"

"Well I did ruin your evening with Stacy." Brittany shook her head.

"Unless you did it to be spiteful, I won't ever punish you for that." Brittany said firmly. "You came to me when you needed me, there is nothing wrong in doing that, even if it does 'ruin my evening'. It's a part of being best friends; being there for each other in their time of need. Besides, punishments should serve as a deterrent for the future and I don't want you to ever feel like you should hesitate before coming to me, regardless of the state you're in."

Quinn fell silent, thinking.

"I feel like there's something you want me to say, or admit to, but I'm not sure what." Quinn admitted after a few seconds, feeling like she was missing something obvious.

"Not necessarily." Brittany responded, still annoyed, though now also frustrated by what Quinn was not seeing. She didn't let it show though, not wanting to push Quinn in any way. It was important that if she did have to punish Quinn, it be completely by Quinns own admission. "If you don't feel like you deserve to be punished then that's fine with me too. I've already forgiven you for the parts directly affecting me so this would be purely about you forgiving yourself. And you don't have to decide today either, I'm not going anywhere."

Brittany waited a couple more moments to see if Quinn was going to say anything else, biting back her frustration when it was clear that she was lost in her own thoughts and not going to say anything. Sighing and deciding that Quinn probably just needed time to herself, Brittany stood up to leave, worried she'd also say something she shouldn't if she stayed much longer.

"I'm going to get going...homework." She excused as Quinn nodded distractedly and rose to see her out. "I'm always there, and I know my family wouldn't mind if you wanted to stay for a while." Brittany added as they reached the door.

"Thanks." Quinn replied, accepting a second hug though they both knew it was unlikely that she'd accept the offer - there was no way Quinn could stand staying with the Pierces for more than a night or two – they lived a little too relaxed a lifestyle for her to be comfortable.

Once Brittany was out in the car she sent off a quick text to Santana to find out where she was, glad when the latina replied that she was home alone. Quickly reversing from the Fabray's driveway, she headed over to her girlfriends house.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **So, now you know what was going on with Quinn, but my next question is what do you think is going on with Brittany (To my twitter followers, I asked a question about a month ago that might hint to where things are going to go with Brittany)? Looking forward to your thoughts on everything in this chapter!


	26. Taking on the World&Focusing on Yourself

**Title: **Taking on the World & Focusing on Yourself

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 4700!

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Mainly Santana/Brittany, Side Santana/Rachel.

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Mentions of consensual spanking, DD and the like. 

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **"I'm just feeling like a balloon that's been filled almost to bursting and I want to be able to let the air out before I really explode but I can't."

**A/N: **So I have an exam tomorrow and shouldn't have spent the time I did writing this, but I really wanted to get it up. I'm rather proud that it came up to +4700 words! Extra special thanks go out to Stacprit for all her help!

Without further ado...

-0-0-0-0-

Brittany was careful to stay under the speed limit the whole way to Santana's house, though she was itching to apply more pressure to the pedal. Santana was already waiting at the front door when Brittany pulled up at the house and barely got out a greeting as she was pulled into the house. Brittany quickly found herself pressed against the Lopez's passage wall while Santana's lips meshed against hers hungrily.

"San, honey." Brittany stopped her, pushing her back slightly. "I'm really not in the mood right now."

"I could help get you in the mood." Santana hinted suggestively.

"Please, not right now?" Brittany asked and Santana relented with a slight pout.

"So how'd it go?" Santana asked, pulling away and allowing Brittany to stand properly.

"Fine I guess. She apologised for everything." Brittany explained, walking past Santana and into the kitchen. "You guys have ice-cream?"

Santana nodded, watching as Brittany placed the ice-cream tub, cream, a packet of M&M's and the chocolate sauce on the counter, along with two large soup mugs. There was something up; Brittany rarely felt the need to indulge in quite such an array of junk food.

"Don't worry about making one for me." Santana said, not feeling like so much sweetness right then.

"Suit yourself." Brittany shrugged, making her own. Santana waited until Brittany had finished her elaborate creation and taken a seat at the breakfast bar to eat it before trying to bring up Quinn again.

"Britt, what happened?"

"Can you drop it for now; I promise I will tell you; just not yet." Santana bit her lip but murmured her agreement at Brittany's annoyed tone. They were quiet while Santana watched Brittany eat.

"You know you're going to be sick if you eat much more of that." Santana commented after a few minutes of searching for something to say.

"You and Q drink to let off steam, I eat ice-cream." Brittany snapped "just let me have my thing; at least it doesn't potentially endanger anyone."

"Whoa, I was just making a comment, I didn't mean anything by it." Santana defended, a little hurt at Brittany's flippant use of something that was meant to be in the past.

"Yes well maybe you, and everyone else for that matter, should start thinking a little more before speaking or acting. I'm tired of everyone just saying and doing whatever the hell they please without bothering to think more than two seconds ahead."

"B, that's not..." Santana tried to interrupt, though not knowing quite what to say to this unexpected outburst.

"Don't try tell me it's not true," Brittany interrupted her, pushing what was left of her sundae away from her and standing up. "I'm tired of being the only one to actually bother thinking things through. I'm not saying its easy, it would be so much easier to just let go and do whatever the hell I please, but I still do stop myself, so why the hell can't you." Santana could read between the lines enough to know that Brittany's tirade wasn't solely directed at her but it still hurt and put her on the defensive. "You expect.." Brittany cut herself off before she said something she knew she'd regret.

Santana raised an eyebrow dangerously "What is it I expect?"

Brittany just shook her head and picked up her car keys. "I think I'm going to go."

"No, tell me what you were going to say; you obviously want to. What is it I expect?"

Santana had been following Brittany back to the front door as she spoke. Brittany was already half way out when she turned to face her again.

"You expect me to know what to do. You trust me to make sure everything turns out alright, and that's not always within my power."

"I know that." Santana asserted but Brittany was already half way to her car, paying her no heed.

Ignoring Santana's protests, Brittany climbed into her car and quickly began to pull out of the driveway; unable to deal with anything else right then.

Santana watched until Brittany's car turned the corner before heading back inside to try figure out what the hell was going through her girlfriends head.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was changing for bed when she heard a car pull up outside. Knowing her parents wouldn't be back for another couple of days she went over to the window to see Brittany's car in the driveway.

She frowned in confusion and quickly pulled on some sweats before heading downstairs, having not expected to see Brittany again until morning. She was beginning to get concerned when she had made it downstairs and Brittany had still not made an appearance.

Walking outside, Santana could see Brittany's silhouette in the car window, her head leaning on the steering wheel. She tapped on the window, trying unsuccessfully to not startle the blond.

Recognising Santana, Brittany unlocked the doors. Instead of going around to the passenger side, Santana opened the back door behind Brittany and got in, lying back onto the seat and staring up at the roof of the car with her legs hanging over the edge of the seat by the open door

Santana waited, listening as Vanessa Mae's Storm played in the background. It was always a good way to judge how Brittany was feeling by the music she was listening to, and Santana could tell that she was still feeling all over the place from the current tune. So, rather than trying to talk to her, Santana waited, providing silent company as she waited for Brittany to make the next move.

As the song drew to a close Brittany flicked a button on the dash, changing the music to something calmer. Reaching behind her seat, Brittany held out her hand, which Santana took, giving it a supportive squeeze. Silently, Brittany got up, out of the car and Santana sat up. Brittany came around to face Santana and calmly pulled her up to standing so they were both facing each other.

"I'm sorry." Brittany murmured softly, her gaze flicking to meet Santana''s and then away again in shame of her earlier behaviour. Santana nodded and gave Brittany a soft kiss as a gesture of acceptance.

"Can we just go to bed?" Brittany asked after a few seconds. "I'm exhausted, and we can talk properly in the morning when we're both more awake."

"Okay." Santana agreed, though she was disappointed, having hoped that with Brittany now in a calmer mood she might get some answers. Santana could tell though that there was something that Brittany was stopping herself from saying "Is there something else?'

Brittany shook her head, though there was just something in the way she did it that made Santana doubt her.

"B?"

"It's nothing, lets just go to bed." Brittany assured, though not quite truthfully. Not in the mood to fight again that night, Santana dropped it, figuring she'd find out soon enough.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Brittany was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when Santana discovered just what B had been keeping from her. She was moving Brittany's jeans off the bed where the blond had left them when a slip of paper slipped from one of the pockets. Thinking nothing of it, Santana bent to pick it up and return it to its place when she recognised the typing on it. Unfolding the paper her suspicions were confirmed as she read through the details of the speeding ticket in her hand. Just to be sure, Santana triple checked the date and time written in the provided spaces, confirming they were indeed from earlier that night; frowning when she read the speed her girlfriend had been driving at.

"Britt?"

Brittany felt an odd sense of relief when she heard her girlfriends tone, knowing that she must have found the ticket. Quickly spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing, she went through to the bedroom.

Santana was standing at the end of the bed quietly seething while still holding the ticket, waiting. She held up the ticket when Brittany entered.

"Were you going to tell me?" Santana asked bluntly. She suspected she already knew the answer but she wanted to give Brittany the benefit of the doubt. Unable to lie outright when her girlfriend was looking at her like that, Brittany silently shook her head.

"Right, keys." Santana held out her hand, waiting impatiently while Brittany went to rummage in her bag in the corner of the room, eventually pulling out the required item and handing it over.

Santana looked through the bundle, finding the ignition key and removing it, placing it on her dressing table and handing the rest back to Brittany.

"Not that I don't trust you or anything." It was a cruel jibe and Santana knew it the second she said it. She grimaced apologetically but Brittany waved it off, feeling it was deserved. Santana began to flick on the bedside lights while Brittany wondered what she was doing; having expected to be ordered over the latina's lap next.

Turning off the main light, Santana climbed into bed.

"Are you not...?" Brittany asked tentatively, feeling oddly let down but also angry that she wasn't going to be spanked.

"I'm not going to punish you tonight." Santana explained "There's more going on here than just you speeding and I need some time to think about it. So come get into bed."

Santana flicked off the lights once Brittany was under the covers.

"I don't appreciate being manipulated into things, and this feels manipulative to me." Santana observed softly after a few moments, feeling Brittany go rigid beside her. "You said earlier that I don't think before acting, well now I am, and while you may not have been planning on coming to me and confessing about the ticket, I don't for one second believe that you didn't intend for me to find out. Rather than just going home or storing the ticket in your glove compartment so I wouldn't find out, you came to my house, and left the ticket in your pocket in jeans which you left on the bed when you normally place them over the chair so I would need to move them."

"I couldn't...I couldn't bring myself to tell you."

"Really?" Santana asked. "Couldn't bring yourself to tell me of the ticket, or couldn't bring yourself to tell me something else entirely?"

Falling silent Brittany pondered the latina's words. They had been quiet long enough for Brittany to think she had fallen asleep when Santana surprised her by speaking again.

"I know you B, I just wish you could find a way to tell me what's really going on."

-0-0—0-0-0—0-0-

When Santana woke up it was to find the bed beside her empty, though this wasn't unusual since Brittany was normally up before her. What was odd was that Brittany wasn't in the room at all. Wandering downstairs Santana found Brittany sitting at the breakfast bar busy on her laptop.

"You know you're meant to ask permission before using someone else's things." Santana teased lightly, coming up behind her and placing her hands on the blonds shoulders, trying to start things off on a lighter note, knowing the serious stuff would come all too soon.

Brittany rolled her eyes without looking around. "You're also meant to ask before going down on someone while they're asleep but that's never stopped you."

"You like it." Santana whispered in her ear teasingly, nipping her lobe cheekily and pulling back when Brittany tried to shrug her away.

"Do you want coffee?" Santana asked, going around the island to make herself some, all playfulness gone from her voice since Brittany clearly wasn't in the mood.

Brittany shook her head no, and typed a few more words before shutting the machine in front of her and turning her attention to her girlfriend, waiting silently for her to finish making coffee. When she was done Santana leant against the counter, waiting for Brittany to make the first move.

Brittany fiddled with her fingers anxiously. "Just because I believe in putting things out in the open and talking about them doesn't mean I always find it easy." She finally admitted. Santana nodded for her to go on. "I've just been feeling really put upon lately, like I'm the one who has to hold everything together and I got tired of it, leading to everything exploding out last night. And I was planning to just drive and try centre myself and I was in Meadowridge, and you know how they always trap around there..."

"So do you. Was it intentional?"

Brittany shrugged and Santana raised an eyebrow warningly.

"Sort of. I was above the speed limit anyway but I didn't slow down even though I knew they normally trap for speeding around there."

"And were you thinking that you were being reckless and didn't really care about the consequences or where you thinking of what would happen when I found out?" Santana asked, wanting to test out a theory that had occurred to her the previous evening.

"The latter." Brittany admitted, unable to meet Santana's gaze. Putting her mug down on the island, Santana went to sit beside her, taking Brittany's hands in her own and coaxing her to look up.

"Hey, I'm the one person you don't have to feel embarrassed to admit that to."

"That may be true, but I still am." Brittany shrugged with a small smile at her own emotions. "I'm just feeling like a balloon that's been filled almost to bursting and I want to be able to let the air out before I really explode but I can't bring myself to do it."

"And you hoped the consequences to last night would lead to you being able to do that?" Brittany nodded. "Well I wish that you had just told me how you were feeling rather than letting it build and endangering yourself." Santana felt like she couldn't really say too much on her girlfriends methods though since she was fairly certain she'd done something similar in the past, albeit less consciously.

Their conversation was interrupted when they were both startled by Santana's phone starting to ring.

Santana sent Brittany an apologetic look, before checking the caller ID and answering the device.

"I got in!" Santana winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear at Rachels excited squeal, mouthing who it was to Brittany, who could also hear Rachel's voice from where she sat. "I got in, I got in, I got in!"

The latina couldn't help but smile at her girlfriends exuberance; she didn't even have to ask what Rachel was talking about as her girlfriend had been stressing for weeks waiting for the acceptance letter she had obviously just received.

"That's fantastic," Santana congratulated, "but I'm going to need my hearing when I come to all your performances so can you try not to deafen me over the phone."

"Sorry," Rachel apologised at a more normal volume. "but I got in!"

"Congratulations. I told you that you had nothing to worry about with that audition."

"Yes I know, but I couldn't help it. Are you free for lunch? I want to celebrate and I have something important to tell you."

"Oh, umm, I'm not sure Rach," Santana said hesitantly "B's here and we need to work through some stuff today."

"Oh," Santana could practically hear Rachel pouting on the other end.

"You can do a late lunch or early dinner if you want." Brittany suggested quietly.

"You sure?" Santana asked, holding her hand over the microphone.

"Us won't take all day and Rachel deserves to celebrate." Brittany assured, having also guessed the reason for Rachel's excitement. She would have preferred if she could have had Santana to herself today but she knew if she were Rachel she would have wanted to celebrate with Santana.

"Rach," Santana turned her attention back to her other girlfriend "B doesn't think we're going to take all day so I should be able to do a late lunch?"

"Okay, that works. I don't really have any plans on today so just text me whenever. Tell Britt she's also invited...the thing I want to tell you will affect both of you."

"Okay," Santana agreed, wondering nervously what it could be; although it didn't sound like it was something bad. Offering a final congratulations, Santana hung up.

"Rachel got into Tisch?" Brittany asked once Santana had put down the phone.

"Yes, she's invited you to come out with us, says she has something to tell both of us."

"Not bad I hope."

"It didn't sound like it."

They fell silent for a moment, contemplating their interrupted conversation before Santana spoke again.

"I'm still angry and disappointed that you were speeding, and that you chose such a dangerous way to get my attention."

"It wasn't planned," Brittany muttered, relenting under Santana's gaze "but you're right."

"You know I really wish you had just said something rather than putting me in such an awkward position."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that yesterday you effectively tried to get me to spank you, and if I do it now I'm going to feel like I'm giving in to that; and because you want the spanking it would be the opposite of a punishment which should be something you don't want; and the focus of the spanking wouldn't be on speeding anyway. However, the speeding was a really serious thing, one you've been punished for in the past so it has to have a serious consequence. Then there's the idea of spanking you but not as a punishment...It's just such a fucking mess."

Santana looked at Brittany as though asking her for the solution and Brittany bit her cheek irritably to stop herself snapping that this whole looking to her for answers is where the problems came in in the first place...right now, in this situation, it was Santana's job to come up with the solution, not rely on her to do it.

Santana seemed to realise what she was doing and looked away, deep in thought.

"Ok, so here's what we're going to do. I'm not going to spank you for the speeding ticket, but you are not getting away with it either. Quite honestly B, it scares me that you would behave so recklessly rather than talk to me, no matter how hard it was to bring up. You should know by now why speeding is so dangerous but since you apparently don't, the first part of your punishment is a 5000 word project on the subject, including statistics, photo's, the whole nine yards. The second is obviously driving will be limited to only when it's absolutely essential for the next three weeks, since it's not viable to take away the use of the car completely, but to ensure that you remember no to speed while you are behind the wheel, you will be putting on some capsaicin cream each time," Brittany cringed. San had never prescribed capsaicin cream as a punishment before though the latina had experienced it once or twice; and as such Brittany had tested it before hand and had a small idea of how painful it was herself. "Finally we'll round off your punishment with a spanking at the end of the three weeks when the restriction is lifted. Hopefully after that we will never have to deal with you receiving another speeding ticket again."

Santana felt a bit bad as she pronounced the sentence; but she never wanted Brittany to so much as think of speeding again, particularly not to gain something from it. She would not loose Brittany to a car crash caused by her own reckless driving if she could help it.

"I don't want to lose you, particularly not over something that was caused by something as silly as speeding. Do you agree to that?" Santana checked, and Brittany nodded dejectedly "Good, we can stop past the drug store on the way to the restaurant. Now I'd like to talk about this whole 'balloon about to burst' thing." Santana softened her tone as the scolding was over and Brittany's lips quirked in amusement at Santana's reference. "Do you really think that a spanking would help?"

"I don't know." Brittany replied honestly. "I just feel like I need to let everything out, and I can't seem to bring myself to do that on my own. But you know how like, everything comes to the surface and is released during a serious punishment? I need that feeling." Brittany tried to read Santana's expression but couldn't.

"What exactly would you want me to do?"

"Just...do what you normally do." Brittany replied, having not actually given much thought to the particulars.

"I suppose we can try it, if it's what you think you need." Santana said hesitantly. She hated spanking Brittany, and she wasn't sure how she would feel doing it for something other than punishment, but if it was something Brittany thought she needed, she decided she could do it for her.

"Really?" Brittany asked, taken aback by how easily Santana had agreed. Santana nodded and Brittany felt a mixture of relief and gratitude towards her girlfriend.

"Do you want to do it now?"

"I don't see any reason to wait." Brittany shrugged as her stomach started to twist nervously.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was holding Brittany tightly as she thought over the last hour while the blond cried into her chest, lying half on top of her on Santana's king sized bed as she recovered. It had felt different to how it had in the past, but Santana supposed that was natural. She still wasn't certain that this had been a good idea, and while her head told her that Brittanys tears were cathartic, her heart was still twisting in anguish for her. She wondered briefly if there was something else Britt could do to experience the catharsis that would not result in her being unable to sit comfortably for the next few days.

"Do you think you're taking on too much?" Santana asked softly once the blond had quieted. Brittany made an unintelligible sound to prompt her girlfriend to explain. "It's just, you're effectively trying to be not only my conscience but Quinn and Rachels too, do you not think it's a bit much to take on? That's not even considering your role in Stacy's life and all the mundane things going on in your own like school, finals, student council."

"Normally, I really don't mind. But I'm not trying to be anyones conscience." Santana made a disbelieving sound "Well not on purpose." Brittany amended "I just...I feel like I have to always be the responsible one."

"You don't though." Santana argued gently "The world won't fall apart if you let go a bit."

"It feels like it will though." Brittany countered, snuggling into Santana more as she admitted this.

"It won't." Santana confirmed again, softly placing a kiss on Brittany head. "Look, we're meant to be partners in this relationship, which means that we should both be leaning on each other, that hasn't been happening; and you're not the only one to blame for that. There's been a lot going on, particularly since this school year started, and I've been forgetting about you and us in the process."

"You haven't though; if anything we date, and do more couple type things since you started up with Rachel, because we now have scheduled date nights. And you're always good about splitting your time equally." Brittany shifted off Santana and onto her side so she could face her properly.

"I know," Santana agreed, mimicking her so they were both laying on their sides, heads propped up on their arms. "but I haven't been focussed on it. I should have noticed that things were getting too much for you." Brittany tried to protest but Santana stopped her. "A year or two ago I would have noticed, but I didn't. I should have been supporting you but I wasn't. I took our relationship for granted and that you would make sure everything was fine with us, when that was as much my responsibility as yours. I took it for granted that you would look after Quinn and help her put herself back together, justifying that she wouldn't accept my help because she blamed me for her relationship crumbling but as her friend I shouldn't have let that stop me from being there for her. I've just assumed you always knew what you were doing and that wasn't fair, especially when I know you didn't."

"I still should have spoken to you though. I shouldn't have tried to hide it all." Brittany fiddled with Santana's fingers that were on the mattress between them . She gazed at them for a moment before meeting Santana's eyes again. "Fresh start?"

"Fresh start." Santana agreed and they shared a kiss. Santana's fingers lightly disengaging from Brittany's to run playfully over her hip. Knowing what Santana wanted and that the only reason S hadn't rolled on top of her was she was trying to be mindful of her damaged backside, Brittany shifted closer, entangling their legs and bringing her thigh up to press against her girlfriends centre and feeling Santana immediately begin to rock against her. Santana began to work on a love bite on Brittany's neck while her hand ran its way done her pale, toned stomach. Sliding through soft folds, Santana drew a little moisture up to Brittany's clit, circling and teasing it, while Brittany's own fingers found their way to the waistband of Santana's pyjama pants which she was still wearing from when she woke up. Deftly undoing the string, Brittany slipped her hand inside. Sensing Brittany was ready, Santana slipped two fingers into her soft centre, slowly sliding them in, and letting out a surprised gasp when Brittany did the same for her. They began rocking slowly together, feeling and enjoying the connection of both being inside each other at the same time. This wasn't just a means to an ends, it was about reconnecting, so when they did slip over the edge, it certainly wasn't the most earth-shattering orgasm either had ever experienced, but it was perfect in each of their minds.

Sinking into the following calm they both relaxed against each other.

"So," Santana asked once she had recovered and was feeling more energised. "Did the spanking actually help?"

"Yeah, I do feel better."

"And that wasn't..." Santana made a waving gesture that she knew Brittany would read as referring to the sex.

"No," Brittany replied, rolling her eyes and sort of rolling off the bed into standing to avoid sitting on her still sore derriere. "Though that also made me feel better in a different way."

She offered Santana a hand, pulling her up off the bed and leading her to the bathroom where they took a shower to clean off.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"You know, I was thinking about Quinn," Santana commented as they began to get dressed and she sent off a text to Rachel to tell her they could meet her in an hour.

"Mmm?" Brittany's reply was muffled by the top she was pulling over her head.

"I think it might be a good idea to suggest she talk to someone." Santana suggested cautiously, knowing Britt didn't put much stock by psychologists and the like.

"Talk to someone?" Brittany repeated.

"It's just, it may help her to have someone to talk to who isn't actually involved in everything that's going on in her life; an outside opinion. And you know the baggage she still carries around from her father, she needs to start dealing with that too if she's going to move on."

"I don't know, S. I mean can you really see Quinn opening up to someone."

"It can't hurt." Santana shrugged "and I don't want her to land up doing something really stupid and we sit here blaming ourselves for not doing everything we could for her. Plus we were just saying you've got a lot on your plate, maybe this will help ease up the pressure on you."

"You're surprisingly pro therapy for someone who likes to not talk about things." Brittany observed.

"Just because I don't like to talk doesn't mean I think one shouldn't talk. For someone who's all about talking you're rather anti-therapy."

"I just don't see why people need someone with a degree to give them the same advice any practically minded person would give."

"Well not everyone is lucky enough to have you as a practically minded friend, and while Quinn is, I still think that it would help her. Would you at least be supportive of the idea if I talk to her about it?"

"I can do that." Brittany agreed and Santana paused in her applying of her make up to lean over and give her a quick kiss in gratitude.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Alright, lots happening in this chapter. For anyone who doesn't know what Capsaicin cream is it's normally used to treat arthritis but it's main ingredient is Chilli pepper which causes it to have an irritating burning effect and can be used as a 'silent spanking' method (google Capsaicin cream punishment for further info). I'll admit I put a bit more of myself into this chapter with Brittany than I normally do (which is weird because she's the character I probably identify with least), but anyway *shrugs*. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought! **


	27. College, Counselling and Capsaicin

**Title: **College, Counselling and Capsaicin

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 3800

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Santana/Brittany, Santana/Rachel, Unholy Trinity Friendship

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: **Mentions of a Domestic Discipline relationship

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Rachel makes a proposal, Santana talks to Quinn and Brittany has to fetch Stacy from her piano lesson.

**A/N: **I'm back, and feeling rather proud for updating on the day I said I would, which you all know by now hardly ever happens! :) I just want to thank the guinea pigs who tried out the capsaicin cream and let me know their thoughts and experiences with it! This chapter is effectively 3 mini chapters combined but hopefully it's not too choppy to read. Enjoy, and I look forward to your thoughts afterwards

-0-0-0-0—0-0-0-

Brittany and Santana made a pit-stop at the drug store to buy the cream before heading over to breadstixs to meet Rachel.

"Congratulations." Brittany sang as she headed through the restaurant to where Rachel was waiting for them by a table, giving the petite girl a hug and handing her a small gift bag.

"Aww, thanks Britt." Rachel replied, pulling out the little bobble head man who was holding a bunch of balloons that read 'Congratulations' that they had found at the drug store.

Putting it aside, Rachel turned to Santana who also offered her a hug, and chaste kiss on the cheek while murmuring her own congrats.

"So looks like we're all going to New York." Brittany observed, wincing slightly as she sat down.

Rachel raised her eyebrows in surprise, noticing the wince and immediately sending Santana a curious glance. Santana feigned obliviousness while Brittany glanced everywhere but Rachel.

"Ahem." The waitress clearing her throat drew the attention away from Brittany and they all placed their drink orders.

"So, now that we've all gotten our acceptance letters; albeit provisionally, though I don't envision there being a problem with any of our results that would cause them to withdraw the offers, I think it's time for us to start planning the practicalities of next year." Rachel said and Santana quirked an eyebrow at her curiously, sensing the barely concealed excitement radiating from her girlfriend. "And in that regard, I have a proposal to make."

"Wow, Rach, a proposal already!" Santana teased exaggeratedly.

"Yes Santana, I'm proposing. Marry me... Brittany!" Rachel said, turning and clutching a hold of a surprised Brittanys hand while Santana recovered from her own shock.

"What? Brittany?" She demanded in mock outrage.

"Yes, I just can't hide it anymore, I want to marry her and be able to call her my wife."

"Well, I don't know, I mean I do have this like life plan thing," Brittany played along, taking a friendly dig at Rachels obsession with following her life plan before Quinn came along. "and marriage is only scheduled for when I'm like twenty-five. Besides, I always thought it would be with Santana, but now with your proposal..."

"You guys suck." Santana grouched.

"So what is your actual proposal then Rach?" Brittany enquired.

"In a nutshell; we all move in together in New York." Brittany and Santana exchanged a surprised look at that, but Rachel continued talking before they could interrupt. "Hear me out. This morning, after I found out about my acceptance, my dad's took me out to brunch to celebrate and while we were out they brought up my Aunt Linda."

"I didn't know you had any aunts." Santana admitted in surprise; having thought that she would have at least heard a mention of them by now, but the only family Rachel ever spoke about was her dads.

"She passed away about five years ago," Rachel explained "Technically she's a great aunt – she was Daddy's mothers sister. She'd always had a soft spot for him when he was young, and was one of his most vocal supporters when he came out to his family. She had no children of her own so when she died Daddy inherited most of her belongings and property, which included a large townhouse in New York. Knowing I planned to move to New York, even back then, they kept the townhouse and rented it out for the last few years but now that I've been accepted they're going to give the current tenants their notice so I can move in there after graduation. The place is too big for me to use by myself however, and I've mentioned to them before that you two were considering moving there after graduation so they suggested that you move in with me. Now I know living together may get a little complicated, but it won't be even a remote squash, and my dads won't charge you rent...I mean that is assuming you want to still stay together once we move..." she added to Santana "I know it's cliché and everything that High School relationships don't last but I still think we should try...and like I said we won't be living completely on top of each other and chances are our schedules will be too busy for it to bother us anyway..." Rachel rambled, getting nervous when she couldn't read anything more than surprise on the others faces, and thinking it might have been better to discuss this with Santana first.

"I'm not going to break up with you just because of graduation Rach," Santana assured her quietly, picking up on one of the more important points in her speech because while she and Brittany had discussed their plans for the future, Rachel had been studiously avoiding any conversation that went deeper than her Broadway dreams since her audition until she had her acceptance letter in hand."Especially not when we're going to be in the same city."

"Good," Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "So what do you guys think about living together then?"

"I think it's a good idea." Brittany answered first.

"You do?" Santana asked curiously

"Yes, I think we'll have to think it through properly and everything before taking any final decisions, but my first impression is it's a good idea. It's the most practical option and I know you were concerned about how we'd be able to afford living there, since your Mom won't agree to pay for you to live somewhere with me, and my parents only have just enough to pay my tuition fees, this will make it all much easier, especially if her dad's don't want rent from us."

"Yeah, but living together, the three of us...that could get rather awkward at times." Santana wasn't necessarily against the idea but she couldn't help but think of how many problems could arise from this situation.

"It'll take some adapting, but I think we could get used to it." Brittany replied.

"I agree," Rachel concurred "And when I say big, it's like six bedrooms and four bathrooms, so we'll all have our own space and then some."

"Wow, what did your aunt need all that space for?" Santana asked,

"She just really liked space, and she was an art collector so she needed space to display it, though most of her pieces have now been donated. It's actually three smaller apartments that she brought over the years and then broke through to make them into one place."

"And it's close to the campus's?" Santana already knew that the three campuses were within ten minutes of each other, and had a feeling Rachel had probably already mapped out all their various routes to make sure it was workable.

"SoHo." Rachel replied happily as though immediately expecting them to know where that is. "It's close." Rachel added, rolling her eyes.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Once they were done eating, Santana offered to give Brittany a lift home, since they had come in one car and Santana was planning on spending the rest of the day with Rachel. Brittany declined though, having already texted her mom to pick her up.

"Everything alright with you two?" Rachel enquired as Santana watched Brittany leave, her expression thoughtful.

"Yeah," Santana replied half heartedly, chuckling as Rachel tried to imitate Quinn's infamous disbelieving eyebrow raise without success.

"We're fine," Santana confirmed again, "I just realised earlier that I haven't been supporting her in the way that I should have lately and I need to work on that. I was thinking we should all do something fun next weekend. Maybe take a road trip for the day." Rachel voiced her approval of that plan. "I was also thinking we should invite Quinn."

"I don't mind that." Rachel replied. Things had been alright between her and Quinn lately and while they weren't buddy buddy with each other, they could hold a comfortable conversation again.

"I'll talk to B and Q about it and try arranging it."

"So what do you really think about us moving in together in New York?" Rachel changed the topic.

"I think that it could either bring us infinitely closer or end our relationship." Santana replied honestly,

"And you think I'm the one prone to dramatics?"

"I just mean that on the surface it's a good idea, and like B said earlier it makes sense, particularly when it comes to money, but it also means the three of us living in the same house; which means that if I'm having sex with you Brittany will be sitting in another room fully aware of what we're doing. I mean that's a lot to ask, and the same goes for you when I'm with her – I don't even know how comfortable I'd be with that. I know we're all fairly open about what goes on but I don't want to feel like I'm pushing it in anyone else's face. And also practically, how would that work room wise; do I have my own, or do I just shuttle about between two rooms. I'm not saying I don't want to live with you or Brittany, because I do; you're my girlfriends, I want to live with you and share an apartment, and wake up to having breakfast with the two of you, but I don't want to lose either of you in the process, or anyone resenting anyone else because we have a good thing going at the moment."

"Santana, I wouldn't have suggested this if I thought I couldn't handle living with you _and_ you other girlfriend. If I'm being honest I'm more scared I'll lose you if we don't; everyone knows how hectic college is work wise; you won't have much free time to spend with one of us, let alone both; less if you have to get a job to help pay rent. I have no doubt that it'll be an adjustment to us all being under one roof, but I think we can do it, and it's not like it's set in stone; if we do find that living together doesn't work we can make another plan."

"I guess that's true." Santana agreed "though I'd still like a bit more time to think about it."

"That's fine, I don't need an answer right now." Rachel agreed.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana arrived at McKinley early Monday morning hoping to catch Quinn before her weekly Captains meeting with Coach Sylvester. She mentally braced herself as she headed down the familiar path, knowing that there was no way that Quinn would take what she had to say well. Reaching the locker room Santana was surprised to find that Quinn wasn't alone in the room but that Brittany was there with her.

"Morning." Santana greeted both of them, heading over to her locker to put away her things for that afternoons practice. Brittany skipped over to give her a quick peck on the cheek while Quinn returned the greeting from where she was sitting on the bench tying her shoelaces. Santana sent Brittany a questioning glance, wanting to know why she had come in so early.

"I stayed over at Quinns last night so I caught a lift in with her." Brittany explained with a shrug.

Santana briefly considered waiting to talk to Quinn another time before deciding it didn't really matter if Brittany was there, and it might even be helpful to present a united front; on condition that Quinn didn't feel cornered in the process. Extracting a couple of sheets of paper from her bag, Santana crossed the room to where Quinn sat.

"Here." She said, holding them out to the blond who glanced at it curiously.

"What's this?"

"A list of counsellors and psychologists operating in the area." Santana explained, cutting right to the point. She could see Quinn's guard go up immediately while Brittany watched from where she still stood by the lockers. Brittany would have probably gone with a less direct approach, Santana mused.

"Why are you giving them to me?" Quinn asked carefully.

"Because you're going through a lot right now, and I think it might be good for you to talk to someone about it."

"I don't need therapy."

"I didn't say you did." Santana pointed out.

"But you did just hand me a list of psychologists."

"Because you need to come to terms with everything that's happened in your life, and I think that maybe there's someone on that list that can help you do that or at the very least teach you healthier coping methods."

"You've gone through things in your life too, and if I recall your coping method was sleeping with every guy in the school, why don't you go speak to these people then?" Quinn demanded irritably.

"That's true, but I dealt with it. I'm not that person anymore and I can now deal with things in a healthier way. But I never went through what you did with Russell." Santana didn't miss the way Quinns grip tightened at the mention of her father.

"Well good for you. I'm fine Santana, just let me live my life. I appreciate what you're trying to do but I really don't think sitting on a couch talking about my problems every week is going to do anything. Nor do I have any interest in dragging up that past. I made a mistake the other night but that was all it was, a mistake; a momentary lapse in judgement; I don't need to go see a therapist about it. I do however need to go see Coach about the Cheerio's practice schedule." Quinn stood up, handing the paper back to Santana.

"This is not only about the other night Q, and you know that." Santana snapped, standing up and darting in front of Quinn before she reached the door. "Do you really want your life to keep going along the way it has been? We're young Q, do you want to go the next ten or twenty years with everything weighing down on you or would you rather come to terms with it so that you can live a full and happy life. And I know it's not a quick fix thing but I honestly think you need this, you need to talk and acknowledge what happened to you. I love you Quinn; I'll do whatever I can to help you and right now, this list, this asking you to talk to someone else, is me helping you in the best way I can. At least consider it."

Santana stepped to the side so she was no longer blocking Quinn's path and Quinn immediately strode out the door without speaking, trying to get as far away from the situation as quickly she could.

"Well I guess that could have gone worse." Santana observed once Quinn had left and Brittany murmured her agreement. "We have an hour before school starts, I feel like working out in the gym a bit, want to join me?"

-0-0-0-0—0-0-0-0—

_Britt, please could you pick up Stacy from her piano class?_

Brittany sighed as she read the text. She had known this was coming. She had known that she'd never make it the whole three weeks without having to drive somewhere but that hadn't stopped her from trying and so far she had been lucky; being able to arrange lifts or getting out of running errands for the last five days but she really couldn't tell her Mom she wasn't feeling well again and Santana was working on a project with Kurt and Rachel that afternoon – Santana wasn't mean enough to refuse to give Brittany lifts when she was free just to teach her a lesson, but she also wasn't going to move her schedule around to help Brittany circumvent a part of her punishment . Sighing, Brittany reluctantly sent her mom a reply and checked the time to see she still had about half an hour. Deciding that if the roles were reversed she would like a heads up were Santana going to drive somewhere so she quickly scrolled through to her girlfriends number and pressed Dial.

"_Hey babe. Did you know that broadway actually refers to a group of 40 theaters?" _Santana asked in a fake excited voice_,_ already knowing who it was from her caller ID.

"Rachel and Kurt get sidetracked with Broadway trivia again?" Brittany chuckled knowingly.

"For the fifth time in five minutes. I don't know why I thought working with them on this project would be a good idea."

"You didn't, Mrs Freedman did." Brittany could heard Kurt correct her in the background.

"So what's up?"

"I have to go pick up Stacy from her piano lesson in about half an hour."

"Okay." Santana replied, without volunteering anything further, wondering if Brittany was going to ask her for a lift and knowing she wouldn't be particularly impressed with her if she did.

"So I just thought I'd let you know since..."

"Oh, thanks. Just remember when we first tried it – a little goes a long way with that stuff and I'd rather you use too little than too much. Also, wash your hands after." Santana advised, being sure to not be too specific in her wording as she was still in earshot of the Rachel and Kurt "I have to go try get the others to focus so we can finish this project this afternoon, but I'll call you after, okay?"

"Yeah, love you." Brittany agreed, hanging up the phone and going to retrieve the still unopened tube from her backpack. Although she knew it would take a bit of time to work, Brittany couldn't help but feel like she was pointlessly wasting her time when applying it; as if it was plain moisturise, she heeded Santana's warning though and only used a little before going to wash her hands and finishing getting ready to go.

Brittany wasn't sure how she managed to time it exactly right but she could feel it starting to take effect just as she got into the car, and soon enough she felt as though she had just had a session over Santana's lap. Santana had a point when she said it would give Brittany pause before speeding while experiencing the effects of the cream. Brittany was grateful she was alone in the car so she could squirm about a bit, although it didn't really help matters, and if anything it was actually getting worse while the cream sank in properly. She had resigned herself to just waiting it out and trying not to draw attention to the fact her bottom was on fire when Stacy got into the car, attempting to unsuccessfully ignore the burn and focus on driving and whatever Stacy was trying to talk to her about.

Brittany had never been more grateful to get home as when finally parked the car and got out so she was no longer sitting. Making sure Stacy didn't need anything from her, Brittany quickly headed up to her room, citing an important homework assignment and locking the door she stripped off her jeans. Feeling her derriere cautiously she was surprised to find that despite the fact that she could still feel the burning of the cream (albeit a bit less now that she was no longer sitting in the car), her skin was no warmer than usual. Unable to resist she glanced in the mirror, noticing her reddened cheeks before grabbing her cell phone and flopping face down onto the bed to wait out the effects. She decided to send off a quick text to Santana.

_I'll have you know that was by far the most uncomfortable car ride I've ever had_

**Good, next time maybe you won't speed. **

_That was like a sp n using the heating pad, I've learnt my lesson, _

_isn't that enough w/out me having to go through it again if I have _

_to drive in the next couple of wks. _

**U've never used that pad, n no, we agreed 3 weeks. **

Santana could practically see Brittany pouting on the other end, she knew that while punishments were never enjoyable ones that took place when they were in separate places were normally unpleasant in a completely different way.

_How abt u come over tonight n do the sp w/ cream n _

_Then we can move on, w/out dragging it out another 2 wks_

**Nope. We're not negotiating this.**

_Come on, I could make it up to u. _

Brittany asked again, feeling rather sorry for herself and wishing the cream would wear off a bit quicker.

**I've said no twice, ask again n u'll b putting on the **

**Car seat heater at the same time.**

Santana paused before sending off another text

**Come on babe, I know its crappy to have an drawn **

**Out punishment like this, bt u know its deserved, so **

**Drop it. Y don't u invite Q over for a movie night **

**Or something n I'll see u tomorrow whe come **

**Pick u up? **

_Yeah, okay. I'd rather if you were here though_

**Ik, I would b there if I could bt R has this whole**

**thing planned for tonight so I can't ask to move it. **

It wasn't that often that Santana felt torn about wanting to spend time with one of her girlfriends when she had plans with the other since they normally kept the schedule pretty flexible and she saw both of them a lot but tonight was Rachel and Santana's date night and Rachel had been hinting at doing something rather special all week though she wouldn't tell Santana what so Santana knew she couldn't try to swop days, though she would have liked to have seen Brittany after her punishment.

_Yeah, it's fine, I'll talk Q into doing something._

_C u in the morning. 3 u _

**Lv u 2. **

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN2: **So what did you think? Things are probably going to start moving a lot faster now. I'm curious what everyone thinks about the living arrangements for NYC – good idea, bad idea, Santana's room and sleeping arrangements etc. I know a few people have asked do I still plan Faberrittana or has that changed and I'm leaving Quinn behind; no it has not changed, Quinn will be involved. If however it's going to be a Faberrittana family thing but with the romantic involvements being limited to the various couples (they will ALL be in relationships, but no three and foursomes - not to break it into crude sexual terms because there's more to it than that but that's probably the shortest way to explain), or they do become a full dating quad (as most often happens) is still up in the air ...if the latter happens I'm talking way down the line – I'm curious to know peoples preferences in this regard as well.

Looking forward to your thoughts, thanks for reading :)


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Title: **

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1000

**Spoilers: n/a**

**Pairing: **Santana/Brittany

**Rating: **M

**WARNINGS: ** Consensual Spanking & DD

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: **Brittany's punishment comes to an end.

**A/N:** *cautiously pokes head out from behind wall & gives sheepish wave* Hi. I'm refusing to even look at how long it's been since an update; all I can do is apologise profusely and thank each and every one of you who has stuck with me through these lulls. I've just been ridiculously busy - I feel so out of everything Glee fandom at the moment; I haven't even looked at twitter or tumblr in weeks. I THINK things should start slowing down a bit and then I'll find some time to write; but I'm honestly not certain. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope.

A huge thank you once again for sticking with it; I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Here's just a short chapter to tide you over:

-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana picked Brittany from her house quite early on Sunday morning a couple of weeks later. They were going to have breakfast at Santana's place while they waited for Santana's parents to leave for the day and then finish up the final part of Brittany's punishment.

"I'll be so glad when things can finally go back to normal and I can drive without having to put that cream on." Brittany commented as she put her things down in Santana's room.

There was a quick knock on Santana's door and her mom poked her head in the door, giving Brittany a quick dismissive look before turning her attention to Santana.

"Santana, your father and I are leaving now. We've been invited to brunch after church so we probably won't be home until this afternoon some time." Santana nodded and her mother left. Brittany had always found the fact that Mrs Lopez went to church to be a curious contradiction in the cold woman, who was probably the least Christian person she knew.

They waited until they heard the car pulling out before heading downstairs to get started on breakfast.

"How's Q been lately?" Santana asked as she cooked the scrambled eggs, knowing Brittany had been spending a lot more time than she had with Quinn in recent weeks.

"She's okay, just getting used to having the house to herself, I think. She's made an appointment with Dr Boysen."

Dr Boysen was one of the counsellors on the list Santana had given Quinn a couple of weeks ago, but Santana wasn't surprised that Quinn hadn't mentioned the appointment to her, she was just glad that Quinn had taken her advice.

"Good, I know you're still sceptical about it but I do think this could help her."

"I know. We'll see how it goes." They began plating up the food; bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. "This year feels like it has just been spinning past so fast lately. I can't believe that in a couple of months we'll have graduated and be moving to New York"

"I feel like there's still so much to organise before then. It's like times suddenly sped up to triple the speed. How are we already working on our final graduation performance in Glee?"

They continued to discuss graduation, exams, moving (they had decided after a lot of thought to take Rachel up on her offer and all move in together this coming Fall) and all other related topics as they ate.

"Why don't you go fetch the cream and your report while I pack these in the dishwasher?" Santana suggested as she began to collect the plates and dishes once they were both done.

"Do we really have to use the cream too? I'm sure you can be just as effective without it."

"Probably, but we're using it anyway.' Santana replied "I like the idea of it tying everything together and I want you to remember this."

Brittany rolled her eyes but got up to fetch the requested items. She waited for Santana to finish with the dishes before handing her the tube and folder and, at Santana's instruction, flicked up her skirt and leaning over the breakfast bar.

Santana put aside the folder for now and pulled down Brittany's boy-short panties and carefully squeezed a blob of cream onto each cheek – previous discussions with Brittany about her experiences applying it alone had led them to discover about how much was required. Santana began to massage the stuff in, enjoying the feel of Brittany's skin beneath her palms.

"Don't even think about it." Brittany warned suddenly and Santana realised her hands had absentmindedly begun to stray further south.

"Sorry." Santana apologised, quickly moving her hands into safer territory – getting the cream down there would not end well. A few moments later she removed her hands all together and reluctantly returned Brittany's clothes to their correct position. She went to was her hands while Brittany stood up.

"We'll start properly once it's sunk in." Santana explained. "Let me know when you start feeling it, in the mean time I'm going to read this."

Picking up Brittany's report she led the way into the lounge, and Brittany, following her lead, took a seat beside her.

Brittany reached for a magazine to read herself when Santana stopped her, and flicking open the report began reading aloud. "Car accidents account for more deaths per year than any other form of transportation..."

Sighing, Brittany settled back to listen, with Santana pausing every so often to show her the pictures as though she wasn't the person who had included them in the first place.

Brittany barely held back a sigh of relief when Santana came to an end of the tedious material she was quite frankly tired of hearing, having already spent the last week researching it. She wasn't as successful at holding back her irritation when Santana simply flicked to the beginning and began reading it again.

"I'm well aware of just how torturous you find this, " Santana paused in her reading "and it's for that very reason that I'm doing it."

"I practically know that thing off by heart, S."

"Good, by the time we're done you can know it backwards." Santana continued to read. Brittany was almost grateful when she felt the cream beginning to work mid way through the third read through.

"S." Santana looked up from the paper and meeting Brittany's gaze, knew what her girlfriend was trying to tell her.

Putting the folder aside she untucked her legs from under her so that she was sitting properly on the couch, indicating for Brittany to climb into position, and once again lowered her underwear once the tall girl was in place.

"B, I want you to tell me why I didn't just punish you with a normal spanking. Why is this such a serious issue?"

"Because speeding is potentially dangerous and its not something worth risking my life over. Car accidents are normally exponentially worse when one or more of the drivers is speeding because of the impact, and it's also harder to control the car when you're going fast."

"That's all true, but I want to know why this time is particularly serious?"

"I guess because this isn't the first time I've been in trouble for speeding."

"You guess?"

"No, I know that's one of the reasons." Brittany corrected herself.

"Mhmm, and what about the fact that you knew you were well aware that you were speeding when you were behind the wheel and didn't slow down – this wasn't like an absent minded mistake."

"That too." Brittany agreed, cringing as the first smack fell.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: **And we end it there for now. Thanks for reading, and looking forward to hearing your thoughts.


	29. Moving Day

**Chapter Title: **Moving Day

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: **About 1800

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana, Santana/Rachel

**Rating: **T to M

**WARNINGS: **Very brief reference to DD. Consensual spanking

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :( **

**Summary: ** Before they realised it, the day was finally here and Santana, Brittany and Rachel were leaving Lima for New York

**A/N: **So moving right along, I've skimmed over the last couple of months of the girls at High School, in my mind they were pretty much taken up by studying, graduation and other normal end of year stuff.

Hope you enjoy, and please review when you're done!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Graduation flew past faster than anyone expected and before they realised it, the day was finally here and Santana, Brittany and Rachel were leaving Lima for New York with Quinn following only a week later. Rachel was all set to start at Tisch in the Fall, while Santana was going Pace to study Psychology. Thanks to a friend of Quinn's mother, Quinn and Brittany both had jobs waiting for them at the Caledon hotel when the others began college; Brittany because, though she was provisionally accepted at the Institute of Culinary Education, she had to complete a certain number of working hours before she could attend, and Quinn because she wasn't sure what she wanted to study as yet and figured she may as well work while she decided.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Moving to a new city with your two girlfriends was by far one of the most stressful events life could throw at you; this was the conclusion Santana came to while dumping the third box of shoes into what would become the living room. It also didn't improve matters that Brittany's cousin Johan had tagged along to help them with the heavier stuff and he had no knowledge of how not to set a highly stressed Rachel Berry off.

Santana had originally thought that Rachel's obsessive need to be organised would help make the move go more smoothly but since Rachel was apparently the only person who could make sense of her overly complicated colour-coded system the movers, Brittany, Santana and Johan kept mixing up where things were meant to go, irritating the diva, who couldn't see how they were not understanding her system, and making her more annoyed and bossy by the minute. That added to the fact that Rachel had already mapped out exactly how the furniture would be arranged not only in her room but the communal rooms, and Brittany and Santana's rooms without consulting them and being unwilling to change her plan now meant that both Brittany and Santana were hitting their last nerves with the girl.

Not to sell her girlfriend short, Santana could admit that the basic idea behind Rachels system was a good one, particularly the colour coded boxes of stuff that should have easily found their way to the right rooms, but the problem was Rachel's colour coded system was complicated enough that it ruled out any benefit the colours may have had. Santana had almost forgotten how much of a diva the petite girl could be having only seen the occasional glimpse of that side of her in the last couple of years. Even Brittany was getting close to her last nerve with Rachel's bossiness. Santana was eternally grateful to Brittany for noticing the warning signs for when she was about to blow her top and managing to diffuse the situation before she actually did land up shouting at Rachel.

It did apparently become too much for Brittany an hour later though when all requests for Rachel to tone it down had failed and Santana wasn't exactly surprised when she saw the blond dragging her girlfriend into the one of the rooms and shutting the door.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Rachel, it's enough now." Brittany said firmly once the door was closed and she released Rachels arm.

"Britt, I can't exactly help it if after two hours of doing this people still can't work out the colours – it's really not that difficult. Light Pink; my room, delayed unpack. Dark green is kitchen for immediate unpacking, light green for your room, red is my room, dressing table, purple is the communal bookcase in the lounge, black is..."

"Rachel, it's a needlessly complicated system." Brittany snapped, losing all patience. Rachel tried to protest but Brittany stopped her. "I actually don't care about that. You're ordering us all around like we're your lackeys, refusing point blank to listen to anyone's idea's but your own and quite frankly being downright rude."

"I..." Rachel tried to protest but Brittany wasn't done.

"I'm pretty sure the movers are two minutes away from walking out and just leaving our stuff on the sidewalk. I have been trying not to say anything and be lenient because I understand that moving is stressful and Johan is here but if I have to pull you aside again because of your attitude you will not like the consequences. Do you understand?" Brittany prompted when Rachel only nodded mutely.

"I understand." Rachel pouted – Brittany had never spoken to her quite like that before; having always taken a more conversational approach.

"Good. Now take a minute, loose the attitude and remember we're all trying to make this move go smoothly, and no one is trying to be deliberately difficult. Also the movers are people too."

Brittany left without waiting for a response, already feeling slightly bad about the way she had handled things with Rachel.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Rachel exited the room a little more subdued than before and everyone was grateful for the reprieve (though Santana was sure she was the only one to have noticed the girls disappearing for a few moments).

For the next hour or so things went a bit smoother. The movers finished and left so there was less movement in the house, and they took a break for lunch, the food lightening everyone's spirits. The occasional warning word from Brittany was also enough to keep Rachel's diva to a manageable level for the rest of the afternoon.

It was getting late and Brittany was just thinking they might all make it through the day in one piece while unpacking some boxes in her room when she heard Rachels distinctive lecturing voice from somewhere else in the house. A part of her wished she didn't know that it couldn't be Santana Rachel was talking to (she had gone out to pick up some basic groceries) so that Brittany could stay uninvolved – she tried not to interfere in disagreements between the two. Unfortunately the only other person in the house was Johan and Brittany knew she couldn't in good conscience leave him to deal with Rachel.

Getting up she wandered through the house; finding them in the living room where Johan was trying to hang a picture under Rachels supervision and it was apparently skew.

"Oh good, Britt, maybe you can tell me why your cousin is incapable of hanging a single straight picture?" Rachel demanded when she noticed the blond.

"It is not skew." Johan practically growled as he tried not to snap at her, having had the demanding girl supervising what he was doing for the last 30 minutes.

"I think we're all tired, why don't you just leave the rest for tomorrow." Brittany suggested. Johan gratefully agreed, putting down the hammer and leaving the room as fast as he was able – he was staying in a hotel down the block for the next couple of nights before going back to Lima.

"I wanted to get this done tonight." Rachel complained as he left.

"Well then you shouldn't have been treating him like that."

"It's not my fault he hangs them skew."

"But the way you spoke to him is your fault." Brittany countered. "Johan is here helping out as a favour to us, the least you could do is be grateful for the effort."

"Well I would if he was actually helping." Rachel mumbled petulantly under her breath. Having finally reached her limit and crossing the room in three quick strides, Brittany spun the other girl around to deliver four quick smacks to her thighs.

"You know that I hate mumbling and I've already warned you about your attitude." Brittany scolded. "Just be grateful that that's all you're getting. Moving was meant to be fun, but it hasn't been because of the way you've been acting. Now, you're going to go to bed, try to get some sleep and in the morning you'll have hopefully gone back to your normal, slightly less diva self."

-0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning Santana awoke to the familiar feeling of being watched. She was surprised to find Rachel was still asleep next to her; especially since Rachel had already been asleep when she joined her in bed the night before. Groaning from the harsh sunlight in the room, Santana reluctantly opened her eyes.

"B, why are you staring at us?" She asked hoarsely as she rolled out of the patch of sunlight.

"Sorry, I wanted to talk to Rachel." Brittany explained, just as Rachel began to stir.

"And you couldn't have waited until later?" Santana asked, before rolling her eyes to herself as she remembered who she was talking to. "Of course not."

Sitting up, Santana leant over to give still half asleep Rachel a chaste kiss before getting out of bed and going to give Brittany the same.

"I need coffee." She mumbled as she stepped away.

"K, we shouldn't be too long." Brittany replied as Santana left.

"Is it weird how domesticated that felt when we've only been here one night?" Rachel asked from where she was still sitting on the bed. Brittany just shrugged in response.

"Rach, I wanted to apologise for yesterday." Brittany admitted after a second.

"It was my fault – I tend to become a little over the top at times."

"I know, but I shouldn't have lost my temper when I pulled you aside yesterday morning and just presumed to be quite so authoritative with you, and I should have discussed it before giving you a punishment." Brittany apologised, worrying she had inadvertently overstepped a line – she had only needed to step into a disciplinary role for Rachel a few times in the past, and not recently so it felt as though the arrangement had unofficially ended; and whenever she had she had always been careful to discuss everything with her first, not just act.

"It's fine Britt, I didn't mind." Rachel assured her; and if she was being honest with herself it had been what she needed to snap her out of it though she appreciated Brittany wanting to check how she felt about it.

"Rach, are you still okay with us having that sort of relationship?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, it's just it's been a while and this is a new setting, so I wanted to make sure you didn't want to maybe stop."

"Do you not want to?" This was the only reason Rachel could see for Brittany's question

"No, I don't mind, I just thought I'd check in with you."

"Well I'm happy to keep going as we are."

"Okay." Brittany agreed, giving the petite girl a quick hug.

The pair entered the kitchen a few minutes later to find Santana waiting for them with steaming cups of coffee. Santana raised an eyebrow in silent question and Brittany gave a small nod to say everything was okay while Rachel went to wrap her arms around her girlfriend and get a proper good morning kiss.

"I like your girlfriend I think we should keep her." Rachel stage whispered causing all three to chuckle. Brittany's stomach growling interrupted the moment.

"I think that's the cue for breakfast." She announced and they all decided to get dressed and go exploring for somewhere to eat.

**AN: **Comments, thoughts, questions, reviews? Let me know your thoughts.


	30. A Suggestion

Chapter Title:A Suggestion

Author: Stargirl888

Word Count:About 3800

Spoilers:None

Pairing: Brittany/Santana, Santana/Rachel,

Rating:M

WARNINGS:Nix for this chapter

Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

Summary:It's a conundrum; how to be fair to everyone when Rachel wants more legitimacy and Brittany doesn't want less.

A/N: Yes, I'm still around! And it's actually quite a long update too (well compared to some of my more recent ones anyway); I haven't reviewed and edited it yet but I wanted to get it up asap so apologies for any mistakes. I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting this long (I just checked and it's been two weeks short of a year *gasp*) so I won't delay you any further with a long AN. Enjoy :)

_(For those of you that don't remember, we left off with Rachel, Brittany and Santana having just moved to New York after they graduated from McKinley_)

-0-0-0-0-0-

Their first week in New York was spent unpacking and exploring while trying to become accustomed to living together. Quinn arrived the following Tuesday and the girls the rest of that week was consumed with helping her apartment hunt.

It was Brittany who stumbled onto the loft Quinn landed up taking, purely by chance when she mentioned it as a passing comment to a barista at Starbucks on the Thursday morning. The place would barely fit a double bed and a sofa, but, to quote Rachel 'it had character'. It was also available immediately and within Quinn's budget. So Friday and Saturday were consumed with getting Quinn moved in.

Sunday, the last day of freedom before Santana and Rachel had to start getting organised for College and Brittany started her new job, was spent, at Santana's insistence, lounging about the house. Quinn came over for a few hours, but left before dinner; still having some final things to do before she too started her new job in the morning.

They watched a couple of movies together before Rachel and Santana decided to head to bed. It was still weird for Santana to be so blatantly going to bed with Rachel while Brittany went to her own room but she figured that was to be expected and they'd all get used to it in time.

"So now that we're in New York, what are the chances of my being your girlfriend?" Rachel asked hesitantly once they were both in bed. Santana's forehead crinkled in confusion

"You are my girlfriend."

"No, I mean publically." Rachel explained.

"Rach, I know New York is probably more open minded than Lima, but I don't think they're that open minded."

"I didn't mean we should be open about being poly."

"Then...you mean you want me to introduce you as my girlfriend publically, instead of Brittany." Santana realised, already knowing that this conversation would end horribly.

"When we started going out, in Lima, it made sense for Brittany to be the 'public girlfriend' and that meant that our relationship had to be hidden behind closed doors. I was hoping though that now that were in New York, where no one knows us maybe it could be my turn to be the public one. "

"Rach, I know it's hard having to keep us a secret..."

"Really? You're not the one who's going to be introduced as the roommate or best friend."

"Yes I am actually. You're not going to be introducing me as your girlfriend either. I wish the world was different and that I could be both of your girlfriends in public too, but it's not."

"I told you that wasn't what I was suggesting." Rachel replied irritably, already able to tell Santana wasn't going to agree.

"I don't think it's a good idea Rach."

"Well I don't think you sleeping in here is a good idea either." Santana hadn't been expecting that. She hesitated for a moment, before scowling and climbing out of bed.

"Fine, I won't force my company on you any further."

Slamming the bedroom door on her way out, Santana grabbed some blankets from the hallway closet and tiredly went to make up the futon in her study.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So you made it a grand total of one week before you had to sleep in here." Santana awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the blinds directly onto her face and Brittany's teasing jibe. She let out a groan, rolling over and hiding her head under her pillow.

"Aww," Brittany teased good naturedly. "I brought you coffee"

The promise of caffeine managed to convince Santana to emerge enough to retrieve the cup.

"So was it a disagreement over where to go sightseeing?" Brittany asked lightly, perching on the desk while Santana tried to wake up fully. Santana unthinkingly flipped her off, only to mutter a quick apology at Brittany's incredulous expression.

"It was a little more serious than our plans for today." Santana explained. Brittany nodded for her to go on, moving to sit more comfortably on the corner of the futon but was interrupted by a tentative knock and looked up to find Rachel standing at the door holding two cups of coffee.

"Looks like I had the same idea." She commented, nodding to the mug Santana was holding. "Can we talk?"

Santana glanced at Brittany and the blond got up to leave, heeding the silent request.

"You didn't go sleep in Brittany's room." Rachel commented once Brittany had left, taking her vacated spot on the bed. Santana shrugged without replying.

"I don't know why but i always felt this being your secret girlfriend was temporary. Like, when we first got together, I didn't know if we'd even last out more than a few months given the situation. I was pretty sure that either Brittany or you would get tired of it and want to go back to being a couple. I mean I hoped that you wouldn't, but I worried. I still do worry about it sometimes."

"Rach," Santana tried to protest but Rachel held up her hand to ask her to let her finish.

"The problem is if that were to happen I would have no one. You know that I wear my emotions openly but if we broke up I couldn't be sad. You, and Britt and Quinn are the only ones that know that we're dating and if I couldn't come to you, and I certainly couldn't go to Quinn, I would be all alone. I knew that I couldn't publicly date you though, not in Lima anyway so I'd never even tried to suggest it when we were in high school but now that we're not anymore I thought maybe things could be different.

"You want us to tell people because if we break up, which I don't see happening any time soon by the way, you'll be able to have a support system?"

"It's not only that. Brittany's had almost four years of being with you, and even when you two weren't officially out it was obvious you two belonged to each other. I've had to watch you guys for all that time, and even before in Middle School, and how am I meant to compete?

"It's not a competition."

"What I mean is that I have no illusions about who you would choose if it came down to it." Santana tried to speak but Rachel silenced her with a chaste kiss. "I know you love me, and I'm not saying you'd just discard me like it was nothing, but if you had to make a choice, painful as it would be, you'd choose her. I'm just saying what we both know is the truth. That knowledge is a part of our relationship, and I can accept it, all I'm asking is that if I have to always be second to Brittany in your life in private can't I at least be first in public."

"I've always tried to treat you two equally." Santana tried to protest

"I know, and normally you do, but that doesn't change the underlying fact. Santana I need this legitimacy." Rachel pleaded openly

"I'll...I'll have to think about it."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So?" Brittany prompted a couple of hours later once Rachel had left to run a couple of errands and they were both relaxing in the lounge. Santana rose an eyebrow in question "You going to tell me what's going on with you and Rachel? You've been distracted the whole morning." Santana hesitantly explained Rachel's request.

"You told her that it's not possible?" Brittany had meant it as a statement but it came out as unsure and questioning .

"I said I'd think about it."

"You know we can't though; it's not practical. We may be in a new city but we still have ties to Lima – we'd still have to deal with the whole break up thing." Santana was taken aback by how quickly Brittany had shot down the idea.

"We could work something out for that."

"No, we couldn't." Brittany replied, her heart hammering. Being Santana's public girlfriend was something she had always taken for granted and the fact that Santana was even toying with the idea of changing that was like the floor had been removed from under her and she was drawn to wonder what else Santana may be thinking of changing.

"I'm not saying we definitely should change things but it's worth considering, isn't it? It would take some explaining but Rachel did make the point that there's no real reason not to switch it around."

"How about that I don't want to change things? Don't look at me like I'm the bad guy for wanting the same thing as Rachel." Brittany stood up and walked out of the room before Santana could think of a reply.

Santana decided to give Brittany a few hours before she broached the subject again. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the blond, of the three of them, Brittany was the one she thought would have the least objections to the proposal. Sighing she decided to give Brittany a few hours to process before broaching the subject again.

When Brittany still hadn't reemerged from her room a couple of hours later Santana went to seek her out with a bowl of the cereal Brittany liked to snack on as a peace offering.

Entering the room, Santana found her girlfriend sitting on her bed with earphones in her ears and her laptop balancing on her lap.

"What are you watching?" she asked as she handed over the cereal and sat down beside the other girl.

"The Big Bang Theory." Brittany replied, scooting over a bit and pulling out the earphone jack so Santana could also hear.

"So you're not even open to the idea of changing things?" Santana asked after watching for a few moments. "I thought you'd be okay with this." Brittany didn't answer so Santana reached over and paused the video. "Talk to me." She asked softly. Sighing, Brittany looked at her girlfriend.

"What would make you think that?" Brittany's tone wasn't accusing, but it also quite firmly implied that Santana should have know otherwise. Santana shrugged.

"I didn't see where you'd find a problem with it. You're the one who always wants things to be fair and whatever."

"Why do you want us to change things?" It came out as a demand "Ignore the practicalities of it all and tell me why."

"I think it's important to Rachel. She needs the legitimacy and it would be good for our relationship to be able to go out as a couple. She's been great about keeping things secret, now that we can give her the chance to tell people we should."

"So you want to do it for Rachel, that's fine. Do you personally want to do it? Do you want to tell people that she's your girlfriend and I'm not?" Brittany asked. "And it's all well and good for you and Rachel, and I'm sure it'll be great but what about you and me? What does that mean for us?"

"We've done the secret thing before. We'll do it again. And it's different you're both my girlfriend and my best friend, she's my girlfriend."

"So you'd be okay with us just going back to being friends?"

"That's not what I said."

"San, you're right, we've done the secret thing before. I don't want to do it again. I know that it's unfair to Rachel, but reversed it's unfair to me. Either way someone looses, and what I told you when you were first thinking about asking Rachel out – that you have to be a little selfish to find your own happiness, is the same advice I'm following here. So I"m sorry, especially for Rachel, but I'm not going to just say okay to this." Brittany knew she was being hard, and while she genuinely felt bad about what it meant for Rachel, she wasn't willing to go back to the place they were when they had had to keep their relationship secret.

"So that's it, you're not even willing to compromise?" Brittany's expression answered for her. "This isn't only your choice."

"So you'd just disregard my feelings?" Brittany's voice wavered dangerously at that and she was torn between shouting or crying that Santana didn't see her position, not because she was expected to agree but because she at least expected the Latina to acknowledge it. Santana stood up to leave.

"No, but I don't like that you think you have the final say on this. There are three of us involved here."

"This is not just some minor suggestion that we can all vote on."

"No, but it's not one that you can just veto either." Santana replied, walking out of the room.

-0-0-0-0-

Santana barely saw Brittany the rest of the day; the blond apparently having decided to sequester herself in her room and Santana wasn't much inclined to seek her out. She was trying to disentangle her own feelings about Rachels suggestion and if she were honest she didn't want to change things. It wasn't that she didn't want people to know they were dating, or that she was embarrassed to have Rachel as her girlfriend, but Brittany was Brittany. She loved Rachel, and yes she believed they would stay together for the foreseeable future, but their relationship wasn't serious in the way hers and Brittany's was. With Rachel their relationship was easy and light, they enjoyed each others company and it was possible that one day they'd decide to take things to the next step and get married, but that was a long way off and for the most part they lived in the present and enjoyed what they had in the here and now. In the back of her mind though there was always that bit of doubt of if their relationship would be able to withstand the pressures of the real world now that they were out of their protective high school bubble. With Brittany though, Santana knew without a doubt that no matter what happened with Rachel, one day they would get married and settle down. She had that certainty that they would always be together. So she was scared to start telling people she was dating Rachel, scared of the changes that announcement would bring, and also what it would mean for her relationship with each of the girls if she did it. And now, to top it off she couldn't discuss her feelings with Brittany like she wanted to because they were arguing and she had felt compelled to defend Rachels suggestion even if she didn't want to go along with it herself; leaving her feeling irritated with Rachel too for messing things up and putting her in an impossible situation by suggesting they change things around. Hence Santana had retreated to her own room when Rachel arrived home, so they hadn't spoken about what happened either; and though Rachel was practically bursting with curiosity she decided to give her girlfriend her space. Both women re-emerged around dinner time and it was blatantly obvious that Brittany was still annoyed with Santana though Santana was also stand offish herself. It was a rather uncomfortable situation for all of them; but particularly for Rachel who was not used to being around the couple when they were arguing and even more so because neither seemed too pleased with the petite girl either, although they didn't say anything to Rachel directly. They both dished up from the veggie bake Rachel had made before retreating back to their rooms. Resigning herself to having the evening to herself, Rachel settled down on the sofa and began channel surfing, nearly jumping out of her skin half an hour later when she heard the front door open.

"Quinn! You know you can give people a heart attack walking into their house unannounced. " Rachel scolded when she saw who it was. Quinn apologised and walked into the room, explaining that she had assumed Santana would have told her that she was coming over. "Oh you mean the girlfriend whose face I've almost forgotten?" Quinn raised a quizzical eyebrow and Rachel explained Santana hiding in her room the whole day. "By the way, what's in the packet?" Rachel added, just noticing that Quinn's hand wasn't empty.

"Vodka, want some?" Quinn explained with a shrug, reaching in to take out a bottle.

"How did you...?"

"I have connections." Quinn winked, replacing the bottle when Rachel shook her head. Rachel looked liked she was going to say more, but before she could, Santana's voice echoed from her room as she demanded the pair stop reminiscing about their shared past and Quinn 'bring her the booze'. Grimacing apologetically, Quinn left to go find the latina.

-0-0-0-0-

About an hour later Quinn and Santana were sitting on the futon in Santana's room occasionally passing the bottle of vodka between them. The blond had listened silently to her friends increasingly drunk rants about girlfriends and catch-22 situations and unreasonable people with veto power until the latina had run out of steam and sunk into the space next to her; now only murmuring the occasional complaint. Quinn had managed to piece together the basic outline of what had happened and had to admit that she felt bad for her friend; for she too couldn't think of a way that would suit everyone. Admittedly she was a little drunk herself though so she wasn't sure if she would be able to once she was sober. This however, was how Brittany found them when she came looking for her girlfriend – it was their night to be together and even if she was annoyed with her, Brittany would rather Santana still come sleep in her room.

Judging from Brittany's confused expression when she noticed Quinn, she clearly wasn't expecting to find the other girl there; nor the bottle of alcohol in her hand (Brittany had been listening to music so she hadn't heard Santana shouting for Quinn when she arrived). She paused in the doorway for a moment, debating something, before stepping forward and reaching out her hand for the bottle. Santana actually pouted when Quinn gave it up; clearly expecting the blond to confiscate it or something, but instead Brittany just raised it to her own lips and took a swig.

"Well this is a lovely mess we've made for ourselves." She commented, taking another gulp before handing the bottle back to Quinn who passed it to a now happy looking Santana; though rather than taking a drink the latina just hugged it to her chest. "Life can never be simple, can it?"

Rachel, who saw the door was open on her way to her own bedroom, stopped passed the room. After a half awkward pause; the kind which made Rachel feel like they were discussing her, Quinn wrested the bottle back from Santana again and held it up to the shorter girl silently.

"Just drink Rach." Brittany sighed when it looked like the brunette was going to refuse. Rachel reluctantly took the bottle and had a small sip; pulling a face and passing the bottle to Brittany who had a much larger drink.

"You know it's not practical for us to change things." Brittany said calmly; looking from Rachel to Santana; neither of the others said anything. "Ignoring my personal feelings on the matter, it's not actually practical. I do think though that we could maybe be a bit less secretive about things, however now is probably not the best time to discuss it" She glanced meaningfully at Santana and Santana only proved her point by sticking out her tongue at the blond.

"What do you mean, be less secretive?" Rachel asked

"Just things like you guys going out for dinner. It wouldn't be the end of the world if people assume there was something going on between you; though it's more likely that someone will think Santana's cheating on me than the truth. Either way though, it's less likely to blow up the same way it would have in Lima so I think we can be a bit more lax."

Rachel nodded slowly "It's not ideal but it's better than nothing." They were distracted by a loud sniff from the corner where Santana was tearing up; apparently happy that they had worked it out.

"And that's my cue to go; weepy Santana is your guy's problem." Quinn announced, swaying slightly as she stood.

"I think due to the fact that it was your alcohol that put her in this state, she is by default your problem." Rachel argued.

"No, I did my part dealing with ranting Santana." Quinn retorted.

"I'm not an object." Santana protested in a surprisingly stable though slightly slurred voice, and was promptly ignored by the other three.

"You're not exactly sober yourself." Brittany pointed out to Quinn. "You can stay in my room tonight and go home in the morning." Quinn knew better to argue, so instead she smiled gratefully and said goodnight.

Checking that the others didn't need anything, Rachel also decided to go to bed, pausing to give Santana a goodnight kiss and Brittany a hug before following her ex out of the room. Sighing tiredly Brittany took Quinn's vacated seat and Santana moved so that her head was lying in her girlfriends lap looking up at her. Smoothing the hair from Santana's face, Brittany looked down. "You're drunk." She said factually.

"You're not exactly sober yourself." Santana countered.

"I"m happy." Brittany shrugged, referring to her alcohol buzz. "I'm sorry about earlier, I should have expressed myself better and not come off so harsh."

"It all worked out." Santana replied, rolling onto her side with a yawn. "I'm tired."

Brittany continued to play with her girlfriends hair as she lost herself in thought, only to realise a few moments later that Santana had actually fallen asleep on her. Grabbing a cushion to replace her leg, Brittany gently manouvered out from under Santana and went to fetch a couple of glasses of water and some advil.

Sneaking into her own room so as not to wake Quinn she placed one on the bedside counter before going back to regretfully wake Santana. She quickly set about making up the futon and bullied Santana into drinking the water before they both climbed into the makeshift bed.

**So that's it. Not promising when the next update will be but at least I got something out. Thank you to everyone whose taken the time to read it and stuck with the girls! As always feedback would be much appreciated, and I'd love to know your thoughts so please take a moment to review! **


	31. The Shower

**Chapter Title: **Shower

**Author: **Stargirl888

**Word Count:Approx **3000

**WARNINGS: **Consentual Domestic Discipline Relationship

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana (/Rachel)

**Summary: **THe pressure is getting to Santana

**AN: **Righty oh, here is the next chapter for you.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The first week of work and college was a new experience for the girls; their bodies were still adjusting to the new schedules so they were worn out and tired by the end of most days.

"I officially cannot move another step." Rachel announced as she plopped onto the sofa, on day 3, having just arrived home from her dance class orientation.

"Join the club." Brittany replied from where she was sprawled out on the rug, apparently having not even made it to a chair before coming to a stop. "I've been on my feet for the past eight hours peeling and chopping and cleaning. You'd think they'd at least give me a chair or something to sit on."

"Yeah, well I've never danced so much in my life, and I'm pretty sure my dance teacher has it out for me. She was nowhere near as critical of the others."

"Well tomorrow we can swop and I'll go deal with your instructors and you can go do my work at the restaurant." Brittany joked to which she only got a half hearted thumbs up in reply.

"I guess we should probably think about making supper or something." Rachel muttered half heartedly, forcing herself into sitting up but Brittany just waved a hand. "Wait for Santana to get home, she's been sitting at a desk all day just listening to lecturers talking – she'll have the energy to move."

"Do you know when she's planning to get here?"

Brittany shook her head; no. "I would text her and ask but my phone is in my bag somewhere over there." She waved vaguely towards the entry way. After a couple of moments Brittany forced herself to get up. "And to think I'm starting night shift next week." She groaned as she went out of the room and returned a few moments later with her phone; this time electing to actually sit on a chair rather than the floor. "San say's she'll pick up Chinese on the way."

"Great." Rachel replied in a subdued voice.

The pair were still in the same position when Santana got home, although one of them had roused herself enough to grab the tv remote and flick it on. Santana couldn't help smiling at the sight of them. She was admittedly tired too; but it was more of a mental exhaustion.

"Awww, are you guys tired." She teased, putting down her things and going to give Brittany a quick kiss and a wink before sneaking closer to Rachel who had her eyes closed. The small girl let out a shriek when Santana pounced, pinning her down and tickling her mercilessly . Rachel fought her off, giggling all the while and shrieking for Britt to help. Brittany laughed but made no move to get up. "You still half asleep?" Santana asked when she stopped, laughing as Rachel tried valiantly to look miffed.

"That was mean." Rachel complained "And you were no help either." She added to Brittany, leaning around her girlfriend to give the blond a disproving look.

"Come on," Santana said, getting up and offering her hand to Rachel "I bought you guys dinner.

"It doesn't count if it was from the house account." Brittany retorted to which Santana just stuck out her tongue.

"I went through the effort of fetching it." She argued "If it wasn't for me, you guys would have starved to death on those couches."

"You're right, thank you." Rachel interceded, leaning up to give her girlfriend a peck.

"Yeah, thanks honey." Brittany added.

With their new schedules, the girls next couple of months were busy. Brittany and Quinn, being the new people at the hotel, were being allocated a lot of the late night shifts while Santana was adjusting to her new, ten times larger, workload, and Rachel to both her heavy theory work coupled with some strenuous dancing and singing classes. Due to their different schedules, Brittany and Santana had very little time together, and even Brittany's off days were normally during the week when Santana was at college. Rachel and Santana on the other hand were spending more time together than ever since they were both home most evenings – turns out that being at college didn't mean going out every other night. For this reason their sleeping schedule had become more relaxed so that when Brittany was working nights, Santana would be with Rachel and when Brittany was home Santana would be with her, it did mean it was slightly uneven in Rachel's favour but they all agreed to it and hadn't found any major problems. One thing Brittany did find she was enjoying with their new lifestyle was that when she was off work, she was off work – she didn't have any homework or studying to do, her sister wasn't there needing to be looked after; her time was literally her own. It was taking some getting used to though and the first few times she didn't know what to do with herself. She was also spending more time with Quinn, particularly when they were both on night shift and it was 3am with not much going on in either the kitchen or reception. Brittany would make coffee and go keep the other blond company at her desk – their bosses didn't seem to mind though since they both focused when there was work to do, and Brittany was always back in the kitchen in seconds if there was a late night room service order. It provided surprisingly good learning opportunities too as Brittany found that the Chef on duty was more open to giving her a chance to experiment and had time to teach her more than the essentials at night when they weren't constantly filling orders.

Thanksgiving came and went without much fuss since both Brittany and Quinn had to work; although Brittany did bring home some of the restaurants buffet left overs and the girls had a late night picnic dinner to celebrate the holiday.

Over those first few months Brittany began to become aware that something was going on with Santana. She had noticed her girlfriend was getting more and more stressed as time went on and her attitude and behavior was deteriorating apace. Brittany let it all slide though; figuring that Santana was just adjusting to a college workload; which was what Santana herself had put it down to that whenever asked and not wanting to argue during the few hours of free time they both happened to have together.

She hadn't realized how bad Santana had gotten though until Rachel actually approached her about it one night after Santana had once again made a snippy comment and withdrawn to her room to study.

"She's becoming downright unpleasant." Rachel observed calmly

"She's just adjusting."

"How long is that excuse going to last?" Brittany raised an eyebrow "I'm sorry but you only get half of the comments that I do, she's better when you're around but at times it's starting to remind me of pre-glee Santana. I can't seem to talk to her anymore and when I do try she blows up at me or I get some sarcastic remark she disappears into her room."

Brittany thought for a moment. "Santana's always lashed out when she feels pressured.'

"The thing is, I don't see why she'd feel pressured, I mean, yes there's a lot of work, but she's studying practically every night to the point that she should actually be far ahead of her classes."

"I've been avoiding talking to her about it." Brittany admitted "It's just that our schedules don't coincide that much so when they do…"

"You don't want to spend it…well…"

"Yeah." Brittany agreed.

"I'm not telling you this to get her in trouble." Rachel added; feeling guilty about talking about her girlfriend behind her back; particularly with Brittany.

"No, I know that,"

"It's just, I think that there is more going on and she won't talk to me."

"Well she'll talk to me." Brittany said with sudden determination as she realized she had been letting it go on too long. "Just give me a couple of days to think how best to approach it?"

090909090

The next day things came to a head literally hours before Brittany had planned to speak to Santana. She and Quinn had both had the day off and Brittany had invited her over. They were in the kitchen in the rather messy dough and flour stage while Brittany tried to experiment with a pastry recipie one of the chefs at the restaurant had taught her when Santana got home from college. She was already in a bad temper from some perv on the subway hitting on her, and a rather tedious lecture before that so walking in on her girlfriend and best friend laughing while they rolled dough did naught but sour her mood further.

"Welcome home." Brittany greeted her as she entered.

"Mmmm," was Santana's response. "Have I ever told you how much I love coming home to find the kitchen in the same spotless state I left it in."

"Aww, did someone have a bad day?" Quinn teased, setting Santana's teeth on edge.

"No, it was wonderful. I listened to a wonderfully entertaining lecture, was practically groped by this hot guy on the bus and came home to find some freeloader in my kitchen making a mess."

"Freeloader?" Quinn repeated indignantly; covering hurt.

"Ignore her, she's been in a bad mood for months now." Brittany said lightly, pointedly not rising.

"Yes freeloader;" Santana ignored Brittany's comment "you're always hanging around here eating our food, watching our tv and generally getting in the way; you do have your own place Q, it might be a good idea you start using it before your Super forgets what you look like."

"Fuck you, Santana." Quinn bit out and made as if to lead but Brittany grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I invited Q over to bake. I want her here and I'm sorry you had a bad day but that can't be helped now so stop trying to ruin everyone else's day and either let it go or go sulk in your room because I'm not in the mood to listen to you ranting."

"I am not in a mood; although I will tell you one sure fire way to put me in one is making comments like that."

Rachel chose that moment to walk in. "Oh great, I guess you also think I've been in a bad mood for months too?" Snatana rounded on the shorter girl who looked like a deer caught in headlight; having not realized she what she was walking in on. Thankfully Santana didn't seem to feel the need to wait for a reply. "Of course you do because I'm also the bad girlfriend who has to spend her evenings studying"

"I've never once said that you're a bad girlfriend." Rachel defended, still slightly bewildered. Groaning in fustration; SAntana stormed out. "San, you need to calm down." Rachel pleaded; following her into the living room.

"No, you know what Rach, I'm tired of this, I'm tired of always being the bad guy who's ruining everyone else's time, and I'm well aware you tattle taled to Brittany about me."

"I didn't tattle tale; there is something going on with you and you won't tell me what it is so I thought you might have told her."

"Don't be mad at Rach just because you're hiding something." added Brittany who had followed the pair.

Santana's phone took that second to start ringing. Glancing at the screen and seeing the caller identity, Santana had finally had enough and uttering a curse, she flung the phone across the room, clearly aiming for the corner but catching a mug that was sitting on the coffee table in the process, causing both to shatter as they met floor.

"Right, that's enough." Brittany's tone took on the commanding authority that Santana hadn't heard since Lima "Santana, Bathroom, now." There was a distinct pause, before Santana found her words again.

"You don't get to start giving orders now, not after months." Santana retorted dismissively, although her countenance wavered slightly as though she wasn't fully convinced of her words. Brittany stepped around Rachel and went to stand directly in front of girlfriend.

"Think carefully how you want this to play out." Brittany said lowly, meeting Santana's glare head on. She could practically see the wheels turning in the other girls head as she weighted up her options. A moment later Santana turned on her heel and strode out of the room, not looking at anyone. Brittany glanced at the others who had watched the interaction silently before following the latina out of the room and upstairs to the bathroom that was en suite to her room.

Once there Santana turned to face her girlfriend with her arms crossed.

Closing the door behind her, Brittany she raised her eyebrows; clearly daring Santana to explain. The stubborn set to her jaw told Brittany that no explanation would be forthcoming.

"Fine." Brittany replied to the silent refusal. "Clothes off."

Santana was clearly battling with herself not to say anything in retort;but she also made no move to follow the order.

"Santana; you _really _don't want to push me on this." Brittany hissed; close to loosing her own temper. Santana hesitated; but knew better than to push her any futher and after a moment she began to unwrap her scarf.

By the time Santana was down to her underwear she was starting to regret her behavior and was becoming nervous about whatever Brittany was planning, knowing the blond had a knack for creative punishments. Brittany herself had calmed down slightly, now that she knew Santana wasn't going to fight her.

"Britt, what are you going to do?" Santana asked cautiously, while undoing her bra

"I'm going to help you to cool down from your temper tantrum." Brittany explained as though it was obvious. Her wording sent a chill through Santana because if there was one thing she hated, it was cold. Her pride was also stung by at her behavior being described as a 'temper tantrum'

"Okay, look Britt, I know I over reacted but…"

"Don't even try." Brittany stopped her protests. "Get in."

Santana; now having an inkling of where things were headed, reluctantly climbed into the shower,dreading the cold – normally she would wait for the water to heat up before even getting in. Reaching around her, Brittany flicked the tap on, turning it slightly towards the hot side before withdrawing quickly. Santana let out a string of curse words as the cold water gushed on top of her, falling silent when she caught Brittany's eye. To Santana's relief the water started warming up quite quickly. Holding one hand under the water to check the temperature, Brittany told Santana to make it colder. She wasn't cruel enough to make Santana endure the completely unheated cold water, but a slightly luke warm was still cold enough to make her point while not risking her girlfriends health. Santana's expression was so pitiful Brittany almost changed her mind and let her get out but she didn't. Knowing how Santana was about cold things though, this was definitely more than a little unpleasant for her.

"How long do I have to stand here for?" Santana asked after a moment. Brittany shrugged nonchalantly before taking pity on her.

"That depends, have you cooled down?" Brittany asked sternly and without the slightest hint of teasing in her tone

"Yes." Santana replied sullenly.

"Are you going to fly off the handle and fling things around the room again?"

"No." Santana bit back a retort about how at least she didn't throw it at anyone, which was her first impulse.

"Will we actually be able to talk reasonably without you loosing your temper or walking off or making snide comments?"

"Yes, fine, whatever you want; just let me get out."

"Okay."

Brittany grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack and held it up for the latina to step into as she all but jumped out of the shower, enveloping her when she did. Once Santana was in a warm tracksuit she climbed onto the bed where Brittany was sitting waiting and silently snuggled into her side. Brittany wrapped her arms around her comfortingly, knowing that that punishment had been a lot harder on Santana psychologically than she would admit. They sat like that for a few minutes before Brittany spoke again "Just now we're going to talk and you need to tell Rachel what's up with you as well, it's not fair of you to block her out, so I want you to think about if it'll be easier for the three of us to sit down together or if you want us to talk alone, but before that you need to apologize to both Rachel and Quinn."

Santana nodded against her. After a long silence she spoke in a small voice.

"Lets just talk you and me first."

"Alright." Brittany agreed; and Santana heavily forced her self to sit up "Go apologise to the others first."

Walking down to the kitchen and facing Rachel and Quinn was hard for Santana. She was embarassed both about her behaviour and that they had seen her being subservient when Brittany stepped in; even if only momentarily. And now she was obviously appologising because she had been told to; though it was also genuine. It only slightly helped knowing the others had been in similar positions in the past and would never dream of teasing her aout it.

Both girls accepted her appologies gracefully, and Rachel had already cleaned up the broken mug and smashed cellphone which now sat on the kitchen counter with a cracked screen.

Heading back to Brittany's room, Santana's stomache twisted nervously. She knew that she would have to finaly explain things but while a part of her was relieved that things would finally be out in the open a part of her dreaded it too.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: **Thoughts? I got the shower idea off a DD forum but I'm still personally iffy about the idea so I'd be curious on everyone else's opinions on it.I know a lot of you are waiting anxiously for Quinn to come back into the picture in more than a side role and it won't be long now; one or two chapters and we'll be there and there's going to be a lot of baggage and drama for everyone to work through surrounding that.

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed and as always please remember to leave a review so I can know what you thought about it.


	32. Reset and Reboot

**Title: **Stress

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: 22**00

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: **Allusions to Domestic Discipline

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Brittany finally finds out what's up with Santana and they discuss making changes

**A/N: **So I'm back! Yeah, ummm...its been a while ;) I'm so sorry for leaving you all or so long, and on a cliff hanger like that, but I lost all inspiration, like all of it. I haven't written barely anything in months and then recently I found it again!

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through these lulls; it is for you guys that I came back :)

_And _the next few chapters are practically already done, so don't worry, I won't leave you guys in the lurch for so long again.

I think you've all waited long enough for this, so without further adieu...

-0-0-0-0-0-

Brittany looked up to see her girlfriend sheepishly re-entering the room.

"It was fine." Santana answered the unasked question.

"And how are you doing?" Brittany asked gently; trying to gauge how Santana was after the new punishment.

"I'm...okay." Santana hedged, to which Brittany raised a sceptical eyebrow and held out her hand towards the latina. "Well I will be; just need time to process; you know?" She took the offered hands and sat on the bed. Brittany nodded understandingly. She considered suggesting they leave their talk for later but decided against it; figuring it would be better to start it now when Santana's defences were still down.

"You ready to tell me what's been gong on?" Brittany watched as Santana stared at a spot on the bedspread for a long moment while she decided where to begin.

"I've just been really stressed." Brittany bit back the urge to scoff at the understatement. "It's not any one particular thing."

"It's all the little things together." Brittany finished for her and Santana nodded in agreement. "All right so what are the little things?"

"Course work; things around here; the stupid cheer leading squad that's been trying to recruit me since before we left Lima. I know they cheer about never giving up; but apparently this team practices what they preach...or cheer; whatever. At least that's only going to last a few more weeks until they realize I'm no longer academically eligible."

"Wait what?"

"I may be on the verge of flunking out of two of my courses." Santana spoke quickly without looking at her girlfriend.

"How are you managing that? You study every evening; even Rachel thinks it's excessive." Santana didn't answer and after a second realization hit "You're not actually studying?"

"I did try but I fell behind in my coursework and there never seems to be enough time to make it up so after a while I stopped trying."

"So you're letting you're letting yourself fail?"

"That's not how I'd put it."

"Then how would you put it?" Santana didn't reply. After a moment Brittany softened, knowing that Santana was disappointed enough with herself that Brittany didn't need to add to it. "Honey, why didn't you say anything; you know I would have tried to help." Santana sighted heavily.

"I'm not meant to find it this difficult.

"It's college; it's not supposed to be easy.

"I know, but not _this _hard either. I_'ve_ never even struggled before. In high school I always did well without trying; and I didn't exactly expect for it to be the same but...I couldn't tell you." Brittany unthinkingly pulled Santana into a hug.

"Okay; was there anything else you couldn't tell me?" she asked; Santana still wrapped in her arms.

Santana shook her head, murmuring "I just really miss you.

-0-0-0-0-0-

They had decided to table the rest of the conversation for that night; both rather tired and feeling that it could be left for when they met up for lunch the following day in favour for spending some much needed relaxing time together.

Brittany met Santana at around one the next day holding a couple of soft pretzels and a coffee for Santana.

"So I've been thinking about things;" She began as they found an outside, fairly secluded bench to sit on. "and clearly we need to make some changes because things are not working at the moment." Santana didn't say anything. She had been expecting a conversation like this after the previous night. "It's not healthy for you to be so stressed all the time."

"I know. I was thinking about taking up jogging; I need an outlet and I haven't really done anything physical since graduated." Brittany raised an eyebrow pointedly and Santana rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean.

"I do." She agreed, smiling. "And I think it's a good idea. I also think that once those courses you're behind on are sorted it'll be better. And with those I wanted to ask; do you have time to catch up if you really work at it or is it past that point?"

"Theoretically I can probably catch up enough to pass it. I wouldn't necessarily do that well but it would be a pass."

"Would it be better to drop them for now and take them in another year?" Santana considered it seriously.

"I'd rather pass them now if I can; it'll be a hassle to organize if I drop them and then want to retake them later."

"Okay, then I think it's time for us to take stock of some other things." Brittany paused to make sure she had Santana's full attention before continuing. Santana nodded for her to go on, albeit with slight trepidation. "Our relationships not great right now, it's fine, but we're going through the motions, and I think that a large part of the reason we're not having more serious problems is because we don't see each other much at the moment." Santana considered that, she hadn't really thought they were in such a bad place, although she hadn't really thought about it much at all... she wouldn't describe where they were at as good though...she realised then that Brittany may have had a point about going through the motions.

"So where do we go from here?" Santana's eyes widened, startled by the question "I'm not talking about breaking up.' Brittany assured her quickly and Santana breathed quick sigh of relief "But we need to do something. When we're around each other; yes we're together but we're not really spending time together, you know? I want to do that more stuff together, go out, see a movie, things like that. Obviously it would also be nice if you could stop treating me like crap too." The sudden segway surprising the latina enough to splutter slightly on the sip of coffee she had just taken. "Don't look at me like that San, you know it's true; and I get that you've been stressed and everything with College but really, it doesn't give you the right to take it out on the world."

"I know," Santana agreed "it's not persona though, you're just around."

"Rachels around a lot more than I am" She added. She didn't challenge Santana's statement because she knew how Santana meant it, and it wasn't an excuse or justification. Santana looked away, embarrassed.

"I'll talk to her." Santana agreed, then hesitated, trying to deicide how to say what she wanted to say. Finally she asked "So where are we?

Brittany raised an eyebrow questioningly, not sure what Santana meant. "This has been happening for months, and last night...that was the first time since before we left Lima. Do you not want to any more?"

This time it was Brittany who was embarrassed. "Want to or not want to is not really the right words."

"Fair enough, but I still want to know."

"I think if this last while has taught us anything it's that stopping isn't a good idea."

"B, if it's what you want...I don't want you to feel like we have no option but to continue" Brittany considered.

"It's not...I don't really want to stop, as such. of course I've thought about it at times, but no, it's not what I want. We're better when we have that element of discipline in our relationship. You're right though, it has been a while, and I've been letting a lot go. I was actually thinking about this this morning though and I'm thinking we need to do like a reboot on the whole domestic discipline front." Santana waited for Brittany to explain more; sure that 'a reboot' wouldn't exactly be pleasant but willing to hear her out. "We both need to get back into the rhythm of things again; so I think that maybe we should go over the ground rules. We haven't really talked about them in years, because we both know them implicitly, but I think now might be a good time to review them properly, you know, remind ourselves.

"Okay," Santana agreed, thinking it probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

"I was also thinking, and give me a chance to explain before you shoot this down, we should maybe look at doing maintenance spankings; at least for a while." Santana nodded for her to go on without comment "On the one hand it would be good to get us back into that whole flow again, and I think that the connection would be good for us too. You know I don't like punishing you, but I do miss those moments of connection around it. And they wouldn't be like a punishment, just...a warm up." She didn't add that she also thought it would be good to give Santana more opportunities to get out pent up emotions in a non-destructive way if she needed it. On hearing Brittany's reasons she could in some ways see her girlfriends point; and though she wasn't about to admit it, she also missed those occasional moments of complete love and openness after a spanking. Even if she didn't like the idea of being regularly spanked when she hadn't done anything.

"So it would only be with you on top?" Santana clarified.

"It doesn't have to be; we can switch if you want to; I just thought..."

"That I'm the one who needs to be kept in line?" Santana flushed as she said it.

"I didn't say that." She refuted but Santana ignored her, knowing it was true. She considered it.

"We can try it. I don't like it for obvious reasons, but it could be good; and I wouldn't mind trying to get back a little more to how we were before we started switching. So we can try one way and see how it goes."

"Do you not want to switch any more?" Brittany asked curiously. Santana shrugged.

"I don't mind it; but I also don't really feel like we are switches. It's more like the majority of the time we're one way, and then there are just those occasional times when we switch because of something specific; it's not a core underlying aspect of Us. That's probably why I'm okay with the occasional change, if it became more even...I don't know how I'd feel about it.

"Okay, so then we still switch and we're going to give the maintenance spankings a go?

"Yes." Santana confirmed "So when do you want to do this whole rule review thing, because we only have like another few minutes before I have to go to my next lecture."

"Well I'm home on Thursday night, so what if we do it then? We can sequester ourselves in my room with some pizza and have a night to ourselves."

"A night to ourselves discussing all the ways I can get myself into trouble." Brittany gave her a look half way between exasperation and hurt and Santana relented; admitting, "It actually sounds like a good idea."

"Okay good. Now one last thing, and it's going back to your courses, do you wan't me to help you with accountability and your studies? I probably wouldn't even know where to begin planning and what needs to be done for when, but if you come up with a plan I can help holding you accountable for sticking to it. It's entirely up to you though, I won't push if you don't want me involved." Brittany assured her; it wasn't her role to force the issue unless Santana wanted her to.

Santana gave her a disbelieving look; knowing Brittany wouldn't be able to not try monitor her progress now even if she tried. It would help make her life easier in some ways too. "You can help." she agreed.

Brittany glanced at her watch and realised they were out of time.

"Okay so we can discuss that also on Thursday." They began clearing away their litter to the nearby trash and got ready to part ways, Santana to her class and Brittany to go home to get ready for work.

"So we're okay then?" Santana asked just before they separated.

"Yeah." confirmed, giving her a quick peck on the lips "And don't forget to talk to Rachel."

"I won't." Santana replied with an eye roll, though she was smiling, knowing it was meant well.

"Okay." Brittany agreed, with a smile and another quick kiss "I love you. I'll be out before you get home, but I'll see you in the morning."

"K." Santana agreed and they each headed off in their separate directions to the rest of their day.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: **So there you have it, a nice full chapter for you guys and you _finally _know what was going on with Santana. I'm really curious to know who's still around and still reading this years down the line, so please review; and if you're new to this fic, please review too; I always want to know my readers thoughts!


	33. Agreements over Pizza

**Title: **Agreements over Pizza

**Author: Stargirl888**

**Word Count: 25**00

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairing: **Brittany/Santana

**Rating: **T

**WARNINGS: Consensual** Maintenance Spanking

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never has been and unfortunately never will be :(

**Summary: **Brittany and Santana go over the rules of their relationship and end the evening with Santana's first maintenance spanking.

**A/N: **I missed you guys! It was great to see all those familiar names in the review list and know you guys are still following along! Thanks for all your feedback, and look, you didn't have to wait a whole year for another update ;)

To the anon reviewer who pointed out the Chinese characters thanks for letting me know; it wasn't because I didn't edit but a problem with the doc upload – I edit before uploading so I didn't read over it in the ff doc editor because that's never happened before. Apologies; have repaired it now and checked this chapter so it shouldn't happen again.

Hope everyone enjoys!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Okay, so lets do this." Santana announced as she walked into the room, pizza box in hand.

"You're unexpectedly enthusiastic." Brittany observed, shuffling over from her spot on the bed to make room for Santana and the pizza.

Santana shrugged "I'm in a good mood." They settled down on the bed, each helping themselves to pizza and Brittany positioning a notepad and pen next to her.

"So shall we start?" Brittany suggested, and at Santana's nod, she began writing.

_Agreements made between Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez. _

_We will not knowingly partake in reckless behaviour that endangers ourselves or others._

Brittany passed the pad to Santana to read and she nodded approvingly, her mouth full of pizza. Taking the pen, Santana wrote:

_2. We will always be honest with each other_

"Definitely." Brittany agreed as she read the item. Adding the third and then passing it back to Santana for the fourth

_3. Bad moods will be expressed in an acceptable way_

_4. Disagreements, whether between ourselves or with others will always be 'above the belt' _

"I know that's a pretty short list but I think it covers most things," Santana said after a moments thought "They're pretty broad and I can't think of much else, unless we go into more specifics for each point."

"Yeah, I'm happy with it. We can if you want to but I think it's pretty self evident. Obviously the first one is thinks like drunk driving, and honesty includes not lying by omission. We know each other well enough to know what is meant by each one."

"Mmm, so that was quicker than expected, now what do we do with it?"

"Hang on," Brittany began to write again

_We will hold ourselves and each other accountable to these agreements._

_Should one of us break an agreement, we agree to accept the consequences thereof; these consequences, where appropriate, may include punishment as determined by the other partner. _

Finishing it with a flourished signature, she handed it to Santana who nodded her approval and signed her own name, adding a date to the corner. Then, tearing the sheet from the notepad, she stood up.

"And now?" Brittnay asked.

"Give me a sec." Disappearing from the room, Santana returned a few moments later, this time with two pages in hang. "I made a copy." she explained, folding the one sheet up and pocketing it, after handing Brittany the other.

Brittany got up and going to her closet, she pinned it to the inside of the door.

"Did you talk to your Professor?" Brittany asked as she sat back down.

"Yeah, he's given me a paper to write on Skinners Behaviourist theory for extra credit,"

"Oh good. When's it due?" Brittany reached for her phone to enter it onto her calendar.

"27th."

"Okay." She typed it in. "Anything else due?"

"I can just share my Google calendar with you, it's got all my planning and due dates and stuff."

"That'll probably be easier." Brittany agreed. Their conversation turned to other things after that and it did them good to just hang out and relax together over pizza, talking over whatever came to mind.

It was quite a while later when Brittany said "I was thinking that we should try a maintenance spanking tonight." Santana gave her a penetrating look.

"You were planning this all evening and didn't say anything." she accused

"I didn't want it looming over us."

"B, it's been a really nice evening, do we really have to ruin it with that?"

"It's not going to ruin anything." Brittany refuted "And if anything I think that now's the right time,because of how the evenings gone."

"So because it's been good, you want to spank me?" Brittany rolled her eyes.

"No, because it's felt like Us, and we're in a good place, and I think it will enhance that. You agreed that a lot of the reason for this was because it makes us feel closer. Also, we went over the rules, have a plan for your studies and are moving into the next phase; it feels like this would be a good symbolic start to thar."

Santana bit her lip, trying to think of a decent argument beyond that she just didn't want to get spanked. She was still thinking when Brittany reached across to take her hands and caught her gaze.

"San, do you trust me?"

Santana nodded, wanting to point out that that was not the issue she was having right then, but also not wanting interrupt sincel clearly Brittany had more to say.

"This is new to me too; it's different because it's not a punishment, but it's also not for fun; it's something else. I feel like this is the right time for it though, and it's only a trial so if it doesn't work for us, we change it; but we can't wait for you to want to do this in practice, because it's unlikely to happen if we do. I know it's been a nice evening, and I know you don't want to be spanked right now, but I feel we're in a really good space to trying something new like this; together. And I won't spank as hard as I normally do if that's what you're worried about."

To Santana's surprise she found she was nervous. Not nervous in the way that all punishments made her nervous, because she knew they would be unpleasant, but nervous because this was different to those and she didn't know quite what to expect. She felt almost like this was her first spanking all over again. "Okay" Santana agreed and Brittany leant over to give her a soft kiss.

Pulling back, she ordered gently but firmly, "Take off your pants."

While Santana did that, Brittany got up to lock the bedroom door since Rachel was home; though it was unlikely she'd interrupt since she knew they were having some couple time. She probably wouldn't hear either, being sequestered in her own room that left two closed doors and a hallway between them. Though living together that was probably going to become unavoidable at times. They both cleared the napkins and pizza box from the bed to make space and Brittany sat down on the one side. Holding out her hand to Santana, she guided her over her lap, surprising her girlfriend with the positioning choice. Brittany never spanked over the lap because she always found it too intimate a position to be in when she knew she was going to cause her girlfriend pain; it made it hard for her to keep her resolve, but this time she decided to try it, figuring that since tonight wasn't about punishment, but rather connection and intimacy, it was the right position to choose.

"Alright" Brittany said as a way to start once Santana had settled, and she lowered her girlfriends panties to her knees. Santana shifted slightly to get more comfortable. In some ways the childish position embarrassed her more than leaning over the bed or sofa did, but there was also a comfort to knowing she was supported by Brittany that the other positions lacked, but it did nothing for Santana's pride. Resting her left arm on Santana's back, Brittany began to rub Santanas bottom with her right hand; though it served the practical purpose of warming Santana up, Brittany also wanted to take things slow and emphasise their connection rather than the painful aspects, as she would with a punishment. She also knew Santana loved the intimacy of having her ass rubbed and massaged; though they never really did it in this position.

After a fair bit of time, Brittany stopped, leaving her hand resting where it was as she spoke. "I'm going to start spanking now. This is only a mild reminder of what will happen if you break our agreements, or fall behind in your work again; okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Santana wasn't sure if the formality was needed in this situation but she normally used it and decided to go witth it. Brittany began absently rubbing again as she spoke

"If we decide to continue with these; when you have a generally good period between maintenance sessions, this will be what you can expect, but if we decide there were things left to be desired over that time, the following session won't be as light."

"Okay."

"Also, and I know this will be hard for you, but if you feel like you need me to keep going, that you want to get to that point to release, you just need to say; no judgement." Santana nodded and mentally prepared herself as Brittany raised her hand.

Brittany started to spank with a medium strength. Enough to sting, but not more. It was almost relaxing..._almost. _Santana supposed it was only because of the memories she had for comparison. Because Santana's mind wasn't focused on the pain or guilt like she normally was, she had the opportunity to actually experience the nuances of the spanking in a way she hadn't been able to in the past. Once Brittany had raised a light blush, and the smacks were starting to sting in that annoying painful but not way, Brittany paused.

"Okay, these are the last few; they're going to be harder than the others as a reminder of what could be" Raising her hand, she brought it down rapidly 5 times on each cheek, using much more power than she had previously. She waited a moment to allow Santana to fully experience them before starting to softly rub circles on her backside once again.

"Okay. You can get up."

Santana stayed there for a moment, her ass still tingling but it wasn't bad. She took the seconds to consider; she knew soon they would need to discuss if they were going to keep going with this, or not and she was trying to evaluate what she felt. She was surprised to find she actually wouldn't mind continuing; physically it wasn't bad, and though she wasn't about to admit it, Santana liked being in that submissive role for a while. Letting go of that control was something she couldn't often bring herself to do, this setting made it easier for her because she had been spanked by Brittany before and it was something she was used to, and with the maintenance it let her experience the submission without the guilt and emotions that would normally be there were it a punishment and without the pain element overwhelming it. Brittany had also been right about the connection and intimacy of the act.

Brittany gave her the time, not pushing for her to get up until she was ready, knowing Santana would need to process, honestly, she also needed a moment. Once Santana was ready she began to push herself up. Realising what she was doing, Brittany stopped rubbing and helped her girlfriend to her feet. They shared a long look and then embraced. They stood like that for a while.

"Okay," Santana said when they pulled apart "We can keep going with this."

"How was it for you?" Brittany asked as she sat back down on the bed, this time climbing on fully so she could cross her legs properly while Santana readjusted her underwear.

"I enjoyed it." Santana admitted, surprising herself with her choice of words. "During it, I felt close to you."

"Me too." Brittany agreed. "And you didn't feel it was unfair or anything that it wasn't a punishment for something specific."

"No," Santana tried to think of how to best explain. "I knew that wasn't the point of it going in, and I think that because I didn't have to think about why I was being punished, and it wasn't severe, it gave me the time to just experience everything; which I've never really gotten to do, except for maybe when we first started DD. What about you, how was it?"

"I also had that 'focus on the experience' going on. It was like I didn't want to get it over with so we could move on, you know?" Santana nodded, and she realised that not just hoping it would be over with had been one of the factors that made a huge difference to the feel of everything. "I think for now we should probably do this pretty regularly; like maybe every week or two, at least for a while then in a few months we can decide if we want to taper them off a bit?"

"Yeah, it's a pity our schedules are so messed up at the moment." Brittany shrugged

"I don't mind." Santana gave her an incredulous look "I mean in regards to this, I don't want to have a set day and time as such; I think we should commit to at least an average of once every week or so but beyond I'm happy to see where life flows; like if either of us particularly feels like its needed on a particular day or that several days have passed without one, then we do it then."

"Fine but if you sit there wanting to do it every day then we're going to have problems; you're still spanking me after all." Santana said it humorously but we a serious undertone. Brittany rolled her eyes

"Like I would do that." Santana gave her a 'I know you' look, but then smiled to show she wasn't serious."Things are going to be changing around here." Brittany informed her, her tone becoming sterner and Santana straightened a bit. "And while our relationship rehabilitation is under way, so will be the Santana rehabilitation project." Santana could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks at her girlfriends choice of words but she didn't say anything, sensing this wasn't really up for discussion "We don't need to go over your behaviour up to this point; and this is the last time I'm mentioning it before we move forward, but I think that because of my lenience a lot of those old habits, snapping at people and cruel jibes and the like have come back out. That's stopping today. All that leeway is gone, and you're going to be on a seriously short leash for a while. Remember how Quinn was with Rachel? How even minor transgressions were swiftly dealt with?" Santana nodded, squirming a bit at her girlfriends words, though she wasn't really surprised. "That's us for the next while. I'm not going to be letting the small stuff go any more, never mind the big things. I'm also going to suggest that you start to get used to the idea that Rachel is going to be aware and probably overhear more than she did in the past. Don't get me wrong," Brittany forestalled her objections "We're still going to keep things as private as we can, I wouldn't punish you in front of her or anything, but we live in the same house now, there's no point in waiting to deal with things until she leaves and stuff like that. Are we on the same page with all of this?" Santana nodded her agreements. "Good, then from this point forward we have a new start."

"Great," Santana's expression turned mischievous then "now that that's all settled, I vote bed." Brittany frowned at the way Santana almost waved off her words, but she knew it was from embarrassment and not because she didn't plan to heed them. So rather than bring it up, she asked

"You're ready to go to sleep already? It's like 8 o'clock."

"I never said anything about sleep." Yeah it was embarrassing when Brittany spoke to her like a child, but there was also something seriously hot about it, and since Santana wasn't actually in trouble, she planned to take full advantage.

0-0-0-0

**AN: **So there you have it, first maintenance spanking, I focussed on the emotionality of it rather than behaviour and reminder because I thought that was what their relationship needed more right then, and I really like the idea of it being a way for a couple to connect – they won't all be quite like that but I thought it was an appropriate first one.

As always, thoughts are appreciated, Reviews mean love! Especially since next chapter ...*drum role*... QUINN IS COMING BACK!


	34. We Could Have Fun

**AN: **Okay first off; I know I haven't responded to reviews – just haven't had a chance; I did read them though so thanks to everyone who left one; I will reply hopefully this week some time.

This is the chapter you've all been waiting for. I doubt it's what you were expecting but hopefully you won't be be disappointed !

Without futher ado...

-0-0-0-0-

"Right, well I'm bored." Brittany announced, shutting her laptop as the episode of America's Got Talent they had been watching drew to an end and climbing off the bed.

"We can watch another episode." Quinn suggested with a shrug, relaxing back into the mound of pillows she was leaning again.

"I think I've just about had my fill of that, thank you." Brittany replied as she placed her laptop safely on her dresser. "Come on Q, lets do something fun."

"Like what?" Quinn fought futilely as Brittany tried to pull her up off the bed.

"I could give you a hair cut?"

"Yeah, because I'm going to let you near my hair again." Quinn shot down the idea.

"It was five years ago on a dare, when are you going to let that go?"

"When I can no longer remember the trauma of waking up to finding my hair two inches shorter and in a completely lopsided."

"Fine, no haircut." Brittany conceded "What about makeovers."

"What are we, twelve?" Brittany just shrugged and looked at her imploringly. Yeah they were probably too old for it, but it would be fun.

"Fine." Quinn sighed, though Brittany knew her reluctance was just a show. "Who's doing who first?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So how was your date with Selene?" Brittany asked as she applied a ice-blue eye shadow to the inner corner of Quinn's eyelids, referring to the girl Quinn had gone out with the previous night. Quinn shrugged.

"Fine,"

"You think you'll see her again?"

"Probably not." Quinn sighed dejectedly.

"What?" Brittany prompted her to explain the sigh

"It's just..." Quinn hesitated "Okay, I'm going to say something and you're not allowed to repeat it." Brittany nodded for her to go on "It's not that I mind being alone as such. I mean I don't necessarily even want a relationship right now; and I have you guys and I'm ok with my own company, but I miss like having someone to lay with on the couch, or to kiss or..."

"Touch." Brittany provided and Quinn nodded. Coming to terms with her sexuality in tandem with her reserved upbringing had made Quinn generally uncomfortable with physical affection. Even hugging Brittany or Santana was rare for her, and they had been friends with for years. She always worried someone would read too much into a hug, or touch, or that they wouldn't consider it appropriate even when they were the ones initiating it. If it was someone she liked she worried they would know, if it wasn't she worried they would think she did; anything; hug or handshake, she worried. She also always cringed when she met peoples whose immediate way of greeting was a hug or a kiss. Yet despite this, Quinn longed for that touch, for someone to wrap their arms around her and for her not to need to wonder what it meant. The last time she could remember that feeling was with Rachel; though that had taken time to build up to too.

"It's pathetic, I know."

"No it's not, honey." Brittany replied gently "It's understandable. Intimacy is hard for you, and you haven't been in a relationship since Rachel; it would make sense that you miss it."

"It's not just intimacy though...I _really _miss sex. Sometimes I wish I could do the whole one night stand thing." Quinns attempt to lighten the mood and side track the conversation with such an uncharacteristic statement wasn't missed by Brittany, but she didn't challenge it. It was a few moments, while Brittany applied a black liquid eyeliner to Quinn's upper lids before she replied.

"You know; and don't get completely freaked out by this; if you ever wanted to fool around or what ever, I'd be up for it." Quinn raised an eyebrow; judging the seriousness of the offer but unable to reply since Brittany was now applying lip liner to her lips. It wasn't news to her that Brittany found her attractive; and there had been this one drunken conversation when they were back in Lima, but she had never made quite such a straight forward offer before. Quinn's own feelings weren't exactly contrary to the idea either. She didn't feel that same attraction that she had felt with Rachel or some other girls she had liked; but Brittany did have a certain appeal to her. "You know me so it's not like you'd have to be exposing yourself to a stranger," Brittany continued to explain "and it would be fun. There'd also be no pressure for a relationship or anything else that you're not ready for. We could even just make out or whatever if you're not up for full out sex." Brittany shrugged "Think about it; it's entirely up to you."

After capping the gloss she'd just finished applying, Brittany picked up the mirror on the dresser and held it up "All done." she announced proudly. After giving Quinn a moment to admire her handy work, Brittany put down the mirror and held out a pot of foundation to the other blond. "My turn!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Brittany didn't bring up the suggestion again for a while; knowing that with Quinn you had to pretty much go slower than snails pace most of the time. She had spoken to Santana about it though, and received her girlfriends blessing. Santana had been fine with it, more so when she learnt the suggestion was just for a friends with benefits rather than full on relationship. Though it had been quite a while, it wouldn't be the first time that Brittany would have a partner outside of the relationship; her only concerns were if they did get more serious and how it would affect Rachel. They decided not to mention it to the singer until they knew if Quinn would even take Brittany up on the offer, not wanting to cause needless upset.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was just past two in the morning and Quinn was once again on the graveyard shift at the hotel when the topic was raised again. She had just finished checking in the last booking for the night and seeing there was no one else around, decided to visit Brittany in the kitchen. Giving Charlie; the night Chef, a brief smile as she passed she went over to the drinks station to make two steaming cups of coffee, filled with caffeine rich goodness before continuing on to the back room where she found Brittany sitting on a crate typing on her phone with an ear bud connecting it to her ear.

She handed Brittany the steaming mug and the blond took it gratefully, pulling out the bud and Quinn could hear faint music filtering from it. Quinns eyebrows rose in surprise when the other blonds phone pinged to indicate a new message – she had assumed at that time of the morning Brittany was just fiddling on the internet or something.

"S?" she asked as Brittany typed a reply.

"Yeah, she's just about to fall asleep so she's saying goodnight." Quinn nodded silently. "I was watching an episode of 19 and counting." Brittany said, offering her friend an earbud in invitation. Quinn took it, reluctantly squashing onto the edge of the crate where Brittany had shifted to make room. The pair watched in incredulous horror at the antics of the oversized family for a few minutes .

"Madness." Quinn muttered as she reluctantly removed the earbud and paused the video. "I had better get back to the front desk."

"Mmm, I have to start breakfast prep soon anyway." Quinn stood to leave when Brittany stopped her.

"Q? Have you given any thought to my suggestion?" Quinn flushed, not needing to ask which suggestion Brittany meant.

"I..." stumbled over her words as she tried to think of what to say. She had thought about it; auite a lot actually, and though she wanted to agree, she wasn't sure if she could quite bring herself to do it. Brittany stood too then, their proximity suddenly feeling much closer. "I don't even know if we have that sort of chemistry." Brittany tried to read what Quinn meant by that; if it was mere reluctance or an excuse to say no because she didn't want to go down that road. But Quinn wasn't moving away, which she took as a good sign.

"Do you trust me, Quinn?" Brittany asked then, softly. Leaning into Quinns space so that she was close enough to feel the other blonds breath on her face. Quinn gave a tiny nod, only her eyes giving away her apprehension. She still wasn't moving away though. Glancing passed her, Brittany quickly checked they weren't visible to the kitchen before closing the small space and her lips meeting Quinns. Her free hand came up to the blonds neck, guiding the kiss. It lasted all of fthree seconds before Brittany pulled back. Quinn met her best friends ice blue gaze.

"Let yourself have fun Q, there's nothing to stop you but yourself." Brittany said as she let go of Quinns neck and took a step away.

"Maybe." was all Quinn said before heading out of the room and back to the desk. Sighing to herself, Brittany turned her attention to the store cupboard, assembling the ingredients to make muffins for the breakfast buffet.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So I kissed Q last night." Santana just about choked on her mouth full of cheerios at Brittany's unexpected announcement. The pair of them were sitting down to breakfast; Brittany having just gotten home from work while Santana was about to head out. Rachel had left already, having an early morning dance rehearsal for a recital she had coming up.

"God B, lead in to something like that." Santana groaned once she had finished her coughing fit.

"With what? 'So you remember how we spoke about Q and I becoming friends with benefits?'"

"Yes." Santana exclaimed exasperatedly

"Sorry." Brittany shrugged apologetically. "Yeah, so we kissed."

"Okay, I guess it's time to tell Rachel." Santana wasn't really looking forward to that. She wasn't sure how her girlfriend would take it, but knowing Rachel it was likely to be an over the top reaction.

"Not yet; Quinn hasn't quite made up her mind." Brittany explained the events of the previous night...or technically morning. "I just felt like she needed that extra push."

"Mhmm, you really want this."

"I do. You know how long I've considered something like this, and I think we could have a lot of fun."

"Do you think she'll agree?"

"I don't know." Brittany replied honestly. "I think there's a good chance of it though."

"Well it'll be nice for you if she does; and Quinn deserves some happiness and fun in her life too. Maybe she'll even lighten up and let her hair down a bit more once she's getting some."

"San." It was half warning, half exasperation, but Santana just shrugged; and Brittany let it go; she did have a point after all. "If this starts to become a problem for you or anything, you'll let me know right?" Brittany wanted to be sure; they had just gotten back on track since getting to New York and Santana was getting up to date with her coursework, the last thing she wanted to do was mess it all up by sleeping with Quinn. Were it not for the fact that Quinn herself had said she wasn't wanting a relationship, Brittany wouldn't have even suggested it; she didn't want the added pressure of another relationship neither on herself nor her relationship with Santana. Friends with benefits however was a fairly safe risk, it was different because it was Quinn. And at least unattached sex with others was something Brittany and Santana had done in the past so she felt she kind of knew what to expect.

"Like I said before, of course I will. I'm not the suffer in silence type." Brittany didn't contradict her; though she was well aware that Santana would suffer in silence if it meant keeping her happy.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**AN: ** I know, I know, friends with benefits? What happened to a relationship? And where's Faberry? (Yes I'm certain at least a couple of you are still holding out for it!) ;)

Really, realistically I couldn't make anything more than friends with benefits work for Q and B right now; trust me I tried; but I couldn't see Brittany even considering that while she and Santana were still mending. I am finding this an interesting dynamic to work with though; since on a friendship level the two are already very close (despite Quinn's natural reserve).

As for Faberry...I never said they'd get together first! ;) Actually, it nearly did happen but then I realised it wouldn't work to try progress to the others later if I did it in that order. There are definite plans for Rachel and Quinn to get back together though, but now was not the time, the current plan is once we've looked at QB develop a bit, and a bit of Brittana drama I've got planned then Faberry will start to come together again. (though don't hold me to this exact schedule because my plans seem to change quite regularly; as proven by over 15 chapters that I've written over the years that now sit in the reject pile because they no longer fit)

As always, I really want to know what you guys think? What do you think of the friends with benefits idea? Is Brittany really that prepared for what she's starting? How did you find Quinn this chapter (I don't know if anyone else identified with her on worrying about people reading too much into touches and hugs etc but I definitely did!) Let me know your thoughts, comments and suggestions and whatever you do; _Please _review!


End file.
